So it begins
by Sophia24
Summary: Sequel to 'Bella's big surprise'. Must read that to understand this story...What happens when Charlie and Beth learn to walk and talk? one word; trouble
1. Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

**Authors note: So, this is the sequel to 'Bella's big surprise'. A sequel! I can't believe it and I already have ideas for another sequel after this one. Anyway. I want to thank everyone who read my first story and I hope you enjoy this one.**

Thoughts?

Now that Charlie and Beth are born I am extremely surprised that I am not tired at all. This may be because of the fact that I live in a household of vampires that never sleep. I have been woken up a couple of times by the crying but I usually just go back to sleep. Edward, on the other hand, looks absolutely exhausted. I think this is probably because he hasn't hunted since Charlie and Beth were born a fortnight ago and I can't remember the last time he hunted during my pregnancy.

On those rare occasions I am woken up by my children crying I am more than willing to check on them but Edward refuses, using the excuse that I need sleep and he doesn't but I am growing more concerned about him with each passing day.

It was around midday and I was walking around the sitting room picking up disguarded items of clothing and small toys which have some how manage to scatter around the entire room. Edward was standing leaning over the couch where Charlie and Beth were lying, trying to feed them. Charlie drank happily from one of the plastic babies' bottles but Beth was crying softly, turning her head every time Edward places a bottle near her mouth.

"Come on, Beth. You need to have something to drink." Edward said gently and once more placed a bottle at her mouth. She turned her head sharply away from it and gargled. "I know it's not mountain lion but it's all we have right now. Emmett and Jasper are hunting and they should be back soon but you have to have something for lunch." Edward explained to her. I'm not exactly sure why, I don't think she can understand what we're saying right now. Alice did say that it would only be a matter of weeks before they are able to walk and talk because they're vampire brains learn much quicker than humans. Of course they will have aged a bit by then but it will still be strange having two small babies talking and running around the house.

Edward followed her mouth with the bottle as she shook her head from side to side, picking up speed. Both their movements began to blur and I tore my gaze from them, smiling slightly, and picked up a small stuffed animal. It was very amusing to watch the two of them and I had to smother a laugh with my hand.

"That's a good girl." I heard Edward say happily and looked up just in time to see that Beth had taken the bottle from him. She stared at it for a few seconds and quickly threw it across the room. Edward caught it and walked back over to her, a small frown on his face. He continued to try and persuade her to drink as I crossed my arms across my chest. He looked worse today than he had done. There were large dark circles under his eyes and his irises were onyx black.

I sighed. "Edward, you need to hunt."

"Uh-huh." He said distractedly, not lifting his gaze to me.

"When are you going to go hunting?"

"Mmhmm." I was beginning to get rather annoyed at him ignoring me.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Mmhmm." I frowned at him. I seriously doubted that he was indeed listening to a word I was saying.

"Edward, James is back from the dead."

"That's nice, dear." Yes, he definitely wasn't listening.

"Edward." I said louder than conversation volume, shouting slightly. His head snapped up and he looked at me as if he didn't even know I had been in the room. "Where you listening to me?" I already knew the answer but wanted him to admit it himself.

"Erm…yes?" He said it more like a question than an answer.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I said; you need to go hunting."

He frowned and looked back down at Beth. "I'm fine."

"Edward, if you don't go hunting, I'll force you to drink from one of the bottles." I threatened exasperatedly.

He looked up slowly and met my gaze, a smile playing on his lips. "Bella, I highly doubt that you-" He cut himself off and looked down quickly at Beth, excitement dancing in his dark eyes.

**Edward's POV**

_Hungry._

I heard a small voice demand and jerked my eyes towards Beth. She stared up at me wide-eyed and I heard the thought repeat itself in her mind. I smiled at her excitedly. I could hear her thoughts, actual thoughts and not pictures like before. I moved the bottle of deer blood to her mouth.

_No._

The small voice sounded inside my head again as she moved her head away from the bottle. "Beth, you need to drink it." I said and moved the bottle again.

_No._

I frowned. She was being so stubborn. Although, when you think about it, she probably inherited that from me.

_**Hungry.**_

Another small, tinkling voice sounded in my head. I turned my gaze to Charlie who had finished his bottle and was pouting at me, his bottom lip trembling as he was about to cry. I quickly handed him the bottle in my hand and he drank it hungrily. Being vampires, Beth and Charlie could cry loudly, really loudly. A lot louder than any average human baby and believe me, when that happened it was not a pleasant experience.

**Bella's POV**

I watched Edward, confusion clouding my expression. I walked over to him and placed my hand on his upper arm. "What is it?"

He looked up at me and smiled warmly. "I can hear their thoughts." He frowned slightly and looked back down at our children. "They're thinking with words. Although their mainly just basic thinks like 'hungry' and 'no'…" He glanced at Charlie drinking his bottle quickly and smiled crookedly. "…and 'yummy'" He said with amusement.


	2. Shocked?

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Authors note: Thanks for all the reviews! I don't think this chapter is any good but I had to have it so here it is…

Shocked?

It had been nine weeks since Beth and Charlie had began to think proper thoughts and they seemed to be getting more and more developed as the days went by. In fact, they were learning so quickly that Alice had a vision of them talking in one week's time which meant we had to visit Charlie before that happened. We had decided to tell him that the children were born two weeks premature and visit him tomorrow.

Charlie had gotten much better at controlling his hunger. Mainly because he was extremely greedy and would drink dozens of bottles when it was his meal time and also because we realised that the only way to get him to stop crying was when he had a bottle in his mouth so that was a regular occurrence. We did try giving him pacifiers but the problem with vampire teeth was that they were extremely sharp and he continuously chewed the pacifiers to shreds.

I had even managed to convince Edward to go hunting a week after our conversation although, I must say, it wasn't an easy task. In the end I got Alice to threaten him with shopping. I think her exact words were; 'Edward if you don't go hunting today me and Rose will take you shopping and unlike last time when we dressed you in male clothing, this time we might not be so nice.' She looked absolutely terrifying when she said this and the look on Edward's face was priceless. She was so serious that I'm not sure if she was just bluffing or actually telling the truth but either way it managed to persuade him. That and the fact that I said I wouldn't go anywhere near him if he didn't hunt. I don't think I would have been able to follow through with that threat but he certainly thought it was a possibility. I actually think he thought the reason behind the threat was because I was afraid his hunger would get too strong and attack me. Which is certainly not the case; I didn't want him to suffer because he was paranoid about Charlie trying to attack me.

We were now in the supermarket in Forks. We had to stock the house with food and Edward had insisted that we bring Beth and Charlie. He claims it is because it will be good for them to get more accustomed to the scent of human blood but I think the real reason is because he just wanted to show off our beautiful children.

As soon as we walked into the shop, me pushing the trolley with Beth and Charlie inside in their baby baskets and Edward with one arm around my waist, the children started crying softly.

I frowned slightly and looked up at Edward expectantly. "It's the smell of human food." He explained and tried, unsuccessfully to get Charlie to stop crying. I began shushing Beth and when they had both quietened down to a whimper we continued through the supermarket.

While I was browsing in the baking isle, I wasn't sure whether to get a loaf of bread or rolls (it's a hard decision), Edward was talking to Beth and Charlie beside me. He received some strange looks for that and I admit that if I didn't know he could read minds it would look a little crazy that he was having a proper one-sided conversation with newborn, as they appeared to be, babies. Both Charlie and Beth were whimpering quietly but it was much better than how loudly they were crying when we first entered the shop.

I walked down the isle, away from the trolley. I had barely managed to walk half a dozen paces away when Charlie started crying so loudly I winced as it was beginning to hurt my ears. This, in turn, caused Beth to cry. I turned sharply to see Edward leaning over the trolley trying to calm them, concentrating on their thoughts.

He looked up at me and smelled the air before rolling his eyes and walking over to me, pushing the trolley in front of him. I looked at him questioningly and he gave me his crooked grin in return.

"Your scent weakened when you moved away and Charlie began to panic. Your scent is much more potent to Charlie than Beth so he noticed it first and thought something bad had happened." He explained and smirked as he continued. "He actually thought that whatever had the horrible smell was attacking you. So basically he thought the human food was attacking you." His smirk widened and I could see humour dancing in his eyes. "I think it would be much more likely if you were the one that attacked the food by tripping into it."

I blushed furiously at his comment and narrowed my eyes at him playfully. I was just about to retort when my cell phone in my pocket began to vibrate. I thrust the loaf of bread I was holding into Edward's hands I as I rummaged through my pockets. When I finally found my phone I flipped it open and pressed it to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered and stuck my tongue out at Edward as my come back to his comment.

"Bella, honey, it's me." The voice replied. _Renee._

"Oh. hi, mom. How did you get my number?" I asked the first question that popped into my head and Edward chuckled slightly. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him again.

"Yes, I'm fine Bella. Thank you for asking." She said sarcastically and I could tell she wasn't in the best of moods. Then it clicked. She knew. "I actually called Charlie to see if he had your number and he said you were at the Cullen's so I phoned them and they said you were out so they gave me your mobile number." She definitely knew. How else would Charlie explain why I'm not at university and am staying at the Cullen's house?

"Oh, right. Well, I have something to tell you…" I began but she cut me off.

"Charlie already told me Bella and I must say I'm upset that you didn't tell me earlier." Her voice sounded more hurt than angry now.

"I'm sorry, mom. But when I told Charlie I got into an argument with him and I didn't want to fall out with you too."

"Alright, Bella. I believe you. I want you to know that I don't approve. I'm really happy for you but I don't think this was the best thing that could have happened." I could tell she didn't want me to make the same mistakes as her. Marrying young and having children. I knew she didn't view me as a mistake but didn't want me to regret what had happened in my life.

I sighed and heard her speaking quickly down the phone. "I'm sorry Bella. I shouldn't have said that. I really am happy for you though. So, what are you going to call the baby?"

"Didn't Charlie tell you?" I asked confused.

"Tell me what?"

"It's twins." I stated and waited for her reaction.

There was silence for a few moments before I heard Renee squeal happily. I cringed and held the phone away from me at arms length.

"That's amazing Bella. What are you going to call them? Do you know what sex they are?" she asked enthusiastically.

I tried to stifle a laugh. Considering they were already born it would be strange if we didn't know what sex they are.

"Well, actually, they were two weeks premature so they're already born. There's a boy and a girl."

"Really? Bella, you're a mother!" She said excitedly as if I hadn't already realised that. "And I'm a _grandmother_." She said astounded. "God, that sounds old."

I giggled slightly she sounded disgusted by the word 'grandmother'. "We called the boy Charlie Anthony Cullen and the girl; Elizabeth Renee Cullen." I said smiling.

"Oh, Bella, that's wonderful. You gave her my name as a middle name? Thank you. I hope your happy, Bella. Are you getting tired yet?" She asked playfully.

"No, Edward never lets me get up in the middle of the night." I said rather irritated. I was slightly annoyed that he wouldn't let me do that. I hated feeling so useless.

Renee laughed at my reaction. "I thought that was supposed to be a good thing. Sorry, Bella, but I have to go now. Good bye, dear. Love you."

"I love you too, mom. Bye" I smiled as I hung up. That went better than I had expected.

I looked up at Edward, smiling happily, to see he was glaring over my shoulder. I looked at him confused and that's when I heard it.

"Bella? Is that you?" I froze. I thought he wouldn't bother me again but obviously, I was wrong. I took in a deep breath and fixed a fake smile on my face before turning around.

"Hi, Mike." I said as happily as I could manage but was more than conscience of the fact that just behind me and Edward were our two children. At present we were blocking the view of the trolley so Mike couldn't see them. I don't know why but I was anxious for him to see them. "I thought you were at university. What are you doing in Forks?"

"I'm back visiting for the weekend." He smiled, never taking his eyes off me. He hadn't even acknowledged Edward yet. Edward wrapped his arms protectively around my waist and I assumed it had something to do with Mike's thoughts. "Aren't you supposed to be in Alaska right now?"

I frowned slightly. "No, actually, there was a change of plans. I haven't been at University yet."

"Really?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "Why not?" He asked bluntly. Right on cue Charlie started crying softly and I turned to comfort him. Beth began crying as well. That was something that always seemed to happen. When one cried you can be sure the other would as well.

Edward picked Charlie up and began rocking him gently He whispered something to Charlie much too quiet for me or anyone else to hear. I'm sure he was only doing this to rub in Mike's face the fact that I had chosen Edward and not him. I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Mike and he was standing motionless, staring at Edward and Charlie.

"Bella, you had a baby? You and Cullen had a baby?" The shock was clear on his face and he asked the questions as if he was trying to get himself to understand.

"No." Edward said bluntly with a small smile playing at the edges of his lips. I saw Mike's face light up slightly and Edward scowl. I really didn't want to know what he was thinking. "We had two." Edward smirked as Mike's face fell. I had to bite back a smile at the expression on Mike's face.

I looked at Edward and Charlie and almost laughed out loud. They were both glaring at Mike with the exact same expression on their faces. Although I think Charlie looked a bit scarier, like he was planning on attacking Mike. Now I realised Edward must have said something bad about Mike to Charlie when he was whispering to him before.

I sighed. "Bye, Mike. We need to go now." I said as I tugged on Edward's arm to get him to follow me down the isle. I glanced back over my shoulder and saw Mike staring after us, still frozen in shock at what he had just witnessed.

"Edward, I would appreciate it if you didn't influence our son to hate people you dislike." I said casually as we walked to the check out. That must be the most interesting shopping trip I have ever been on.


	3. Show off

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Authors note: thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter.

Show off.

Today was the day we had planned to go visit Charlie. Alice and Jasper had left to go hunting, Carlisle was at the hospital, Esme was cleaning the house and Emmett and Rosalie were in their room doing something I really didn't want to know about. It was times like these that I was glad I wasn't a vampire with acute hearing. They were obviously having some pretty graphic thoughts because Edward kept cringing every few moments.

I was standing in the living room watching Beth and Charlie as they drank their breakfast when Edward stepped up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder as he inhaled my scent.

"Would you like to go out for a walk, Bella?" He asked casually but I could see a wide smile on his face.

"A walk where?" I asked immediately suspicious.

"I thought we could just take Beth and Charlie for a walk in Forks and visit your father while we were there." He said innocently but I knew better than to be fooled.

"So, that's what you're up to. You just want to show off your children to the neighbourhood?" I rolled my eyes.

"No, Bella." He said softly. "I want to let everybody know I have a beautiful wife and two perfect children." He brushed his lips against my cheek and I nodded. It was I could do as his cool breath fanned over my skin.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

We were now walking through the streets in Forks, Edward pushing the double pram with one arm around my waist while Charlie and Beth lay in the pram and were currently nudging each other forcefully. We turned the corner and began walking down the street towards Charlie's house.

Just as I reached into the pram to try and stop them from fighting baby Charlie began to cry, his screams piercing the silence of the cold winters morning. I was sure that the whole of Forks must have heard him.

I jumped and pulled my hand back before turning to Edward. "What's he thinking? What's wrong?" I asked worriedly as I watched our son howling, a disgusted expression on his small face.

"'smelly'." Edward frowned as he tried to decipher the thought. We had taken a couple more steps towards the house when Edward froze and his whole body tensed.

I glanced around our surroundings and looked back at Edward. "What's wrong?" I was beginning to panic. It must be something bad.

"He can smell werewolf. I didn't smell it before now because his sense on smell is much stronger than mine considering he is a newborn. Beth can smell it too and thinks it's just as bad but she isn't quite as vocal as Charlie when it comes to expressing her feelings." He smiled slightly.

I gasped at what he had just said. "What werewolf?" Part of me wanted it to be Jacob, I really wanted to see him again, but I didn't want that guilty feeling that I had caused him pain, although that feeling never really left me.

"Jacob." Edward stated and for some strange reason, he was smiling. He actually looked pleased and began walking towards the house again.

I watched him suspiciously out of the corner of my eye. This was definitely not usual behaviour for Edward when Jacob was in the vicinity.

**A/N: sorry it's so short but I'm really tired right now and I can't figure out how to write the rest of this chapter so it's decent and I didn't want to keep you waiting for too long. I'll probably update within the next few days but I'm going to be working all weekend so I'm not making any promises. Sorry.**


	4. What?

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

**Authors note: thanks to everyone who reviewed! Sorry the last chapter was so short and I'm not sure this one is any good because I wasn't entirely sure how Jacob was going to react but hopefully, its ok. I'm also really sorry about taking ages to update. I had major writers block which almost drove me insane! And for future reference, I am going to pretend Breaking Dawn doesn't exist so I can just continue with my original ideas, although some of them are quite similar. I was actually amazed how close my ideas where to the book.**

What?

**Edward POV**

As we were walking towards the house I couldn't help but smile. This was wonderful. I had my beautiful Bella, my lovely children and now this. I must say that this situation was also amusing, to say the least.

Bella kept on glancing at my suspiciously from the corner of her eye, thinking I didn't notice her. Charlie was screaming even louder than before, it that was at all possible, and this had, in turn, made Beth begin to cry although not nearly as loudly. The thoughts of those nearby, excluding Bella, swirled around in my mind.

_Daddy! It smelly! Go away smelly, stop. _

My baby son was even screaming in his thoughts, although not exactly coherent I could understand them pretty well. Bella's father in the house was musing over what the sound, which I assumed to be our son's crying, could possibly be. But the most amusing thoughts so far belonged to Jacob Black, coming from somewhere inside the house we were approaching. His thoughts were silent for some time with occasional bursts of disjointed thoughts.

…_Oh._

_My._

_God_

_...Bella? Pregnant?...Bella, a mother?..._

I bit down on the laugh threatening to erupt from me at the latest thoughts. Charlie obviously told him the good news.

_What is that sound? Wait, crying?...Bella! She's here__. Finally._

I looked up towards the house just as the front door burst open and Chief Swan practically ran towards Bella, pulling her into a tight hug. I smiled as I watched her. That is how it should be. Bella with her family. Happy and human. I sighed and looked away from her as the guilt that I would soon be taking that away from her began to grow. I may have agreed to change her but that doesn't mean I agree with her decision to become one of us. I wanted to spend eternity with her, I really did, but the amount of things she was going to sacrifice for me made me think she would regret her decision.

**Bella's POV**

I had missed my father more than I had realised and had to force back the tears that were threatening to escape. I step away from him and turned towards the double pram as Edward lifted Charlie out in an attempt to comfort him and stop his excessive crying.

"Dad, would you like to meet your grandchildren?" I asked him as a huge smile spread across his face. He seemed to be much happier about this than when I had first told him. He stood beside me and nodded his head, unable to speak as he looked down at mine and Edward's children.

"This is Elizabeth." I said as I gently lifted Beth out of the pram into my arms. She looked up at my father, staring for a few seconds before a small smile spread across her face.

"She looked so much like you when you were that age, Bella." He said softly as he looked over my shoulder at Beth, the smile still hadn't left his face.

I smiled happily and looked over to Edward, who still hadn't managed to calm our son yet. "And that is Charlie." I said gesturing to the abnormally loud baby in Edward's arms. I turned my head to look at my father, his eyes filled with happiness.

"Thank you, Bella." He gave me another warm hug and walked over to see baby Charlie. I looked over to our drive and saw that Jacob's rabbit was parked behind my dad's cruiser. Good. He wouldn't suspect anything if I asked where Jacob was.

"Erm, dad? Is Jacob here?" I asked glancing towards the house, trying to see any movement within. There wasn't any.

"Yeah, he's in the sitting room." He said distractedly as he watched his screaming Grandson. "I think he's still in shock. Hasn't moved since I told him about you being pregnant." He said as if it was natural. "That was about half an hour ago."

My eyes widened in shock. He hadn't moved for half an hour and Charlie was acting like it's the most natural thing in the world. "Dad, can we come in. It's getting pretty cold out side." I was desperate to see Jacob again and extremely curious to find out why Edward was so happy about him being here. There was something strange going on and I wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"What? Oh, right. Yes, of course, come on in." He snapped out of his grandchildren induced daze and led the way towards the house. Edward placed his foot on one of the lever on the pram and it folded neatly immediately. I had tried to do that earlier in the day. It had taken me 20 minutes to get it half folded before I gave up. He picked it up with one hand while the other cradled baby Charlie, who some how managed to scream louder the closer we got to the house with tears streaming down his face.

I walked into the house and was overwhelmed by the sense of familiarity. I was good to be back here even if it only was for a short few hours. I looked through the door to the sitting room and saw Jacob motionless on the sofa, staring blankly at the opposite wall. Now I know what my dad was talking about when he said 'in shock'.

"Dad, would you like to hold Beth?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from Jacob to look at my father. I knew he would be alright holding Beth. If she could restrain herself from the scent of my oddly appealing blood, she should be ok with him and they had both been fed before we left the house. Charlie beamed at me and formed a rough cradle shape with his arms uncertainly as I carefully passed him Beth.

I turned back to the sitting room door and took a few steps towards it. "Jake?" I asked, concern lacing my voice. His head snapped up, my voice breaking him out of his frozen position. A smile spread across his face. He stood up and walked quickly over to me in a few stride, pulling me into a tight hug. "Erm, Jake?" I managed to gasp out and he released me from the hug but placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Sorry. I missed you, Bells." He said grinning down at me. If it was possible, he had grown even more since I had last seen him. I realised it had been oddly quiet when a high pitched scream broke the air and I flinched. I was once again glad for not having the acute hearing that Edward and Jacob have. If baby Charlie's crying was sore on my ears as a human it must be even worse for them.

Jacob looked towards the source of the scream the same time I did. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock. "You had two?" He breathed, astounded.

I frowned and turned to Charlie. "Why don't you tell people that I had twins?" He had done that when he told Renee as well. Just the fact that I was pregnant but not that I was having twins.

He shrugged. "They didn't ask." He said innocently but I could see the smile he was trying to hide. He must be enjoying this. "I'm going to go watch the game." He said quickly and disappeared into the sitting room. He was either extremely anxious to watch it or he was trying to get away from the constant screaming. I suspected the latter.

"Hello, Jacob." Edward smiled and held out his hand.

"It's good to see you again, Edward." Jacob replied and shook his hand. OK, now I was suspicious. Something was defiantly going on. Jacob? Edward? Not mutt or bloodsucker?

My eyes darted between the two, the suspicion obvious in my expression. "What's going on?" I asked impatiently, looking at Edward then Jacob for an answer.

He turned to look at me and began to shift uncomfortably, a guilty expression on his face. "I've got something to tell you, Bella." The happiness was obvious in his voice. "I did try to tell you at your wedding…" He trailed off.

"What is it? Is that why you were acting so suspicious?" I questioned and he nodded in agreement.

_Flash Back_

_Edward and I sat at a small table for two at the edge of the main dance floor that was surrounded by lit candles. I had danced for most of the songs and my feet were now extremely painful. I blame Alice and her choice of footwear. _

_I looked out at the multiple people dancing and saw Jacob making his way towards us through the crowd. I felt my heart beat increase as well as my breathing. I hadn't seen him for weeks. Edward had his arm around my waist and was rubbing my side soothingly which calmed me slightly._

_He stopped just in front of us and began to speak, "Hi, Bells. Congratulations." His eyes flickered from me to Edward and back again. "I've, em, got something to tell you." He said nervously, frowning in thought. I just looked at him expectantly; pretty surprised by the way he was acting. "I…em, well…it's just…" He sighed and looked down at the ground then back at me restlessly. "I…I…I need to go to the toilet. Bye, Bella." He blurted out and disappeared back in to the crowd of people dancing._

_End flash back_

"Well, I imprinted." He said, a smile lighting up his face.

I stared at him for a few moments, shocked. I jumped at him and threw my arms around him. "Jake, that's brilliant!" I squealed. I actually squealed. _I'm spending way too much time with Alice._

I can't believe he didn't tell me before. This was the best thing that could have happened to him and he kept it a secret from me, his best friend. "When?" I said as I released him.

"A couple of weeks before you wedding." He said, still grinning.

"What?! That was months ago and you didn't tell me." I said astounded, my anger flaring. He had kept a secret from me for nine months. Realisation dawned on me and I turned towards Edward. If Jacob had been trying to tell me this at my wedding then Edward knew as well. "You. You knew as well." I asked, trying to sound threatening but it came out whining. Once again, being the human, I was out of the loop.

"Yes, I did." He said and smiled slightly. "But he wanted to tell you himself and asked me not to tell you." He explained and looked at me with pleading eyes.

I sighed. "Alright. But next time something big happens, you have to tell me." Jake nodded. "Good."

"So, Bella, how was it to…you know…with a vampire." My mouth dropped open and I could feel my cheeks blazing red as I focused my eyes on the ground. "I'm only joking, Bells. I just couldn't resist making you blush." He said chuckling. _Yeah, go ahead, pick on the human._

A small growl broke through my embarrassment and I looked towards Edward. My eyes travelled down and I saw baby Charlie, with his eyes narrowed and bared his teeth at Jacob. It was then I realised how close Jacob actually was to him and Edward, it was just a few feet between them. "Jake, can you just step back." I asked, moving past him to get a bottle from the bag on the folded pram to distract Charlie.

I passed the bottle to Edward who had one arm wrapped tightly around Charlie's little body. He placed the bottle at Charlie's mouth and he drank greedily. That boy was like a bottomless pit. He would drink all day of he could.

"Is that…blood?" Jake asked from beside me, his nose scrunched in disgust as he watched Charlie feeding.

"Yes, animal blood. Unless you would prefer him taking a bite out of me." I rolled my eyes at him as Edward shot me a 'that's not funny' glance.

Charlie seemed to quieten down after that but I assumed he was still complaining about the smell by the way Edward kept whispering to him. A few hours later it had began to grow dark and we decided it was best to leave. I said goodbye to my dad and Jake. It was probably the last time I was going to see either of them but I was glad of that final goodbye.

**A/N: I kind of rushed it because I realised how long it's been since I updated. I will try to update sooner in future. And I just want to take this op****portunity to say 'I was right!' **


	5. Destruction

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any other books by the great Stephanie Meyer

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any other books by the great Stephanie Meyer.**

**Authors note: Thanks to those of you who reviewed. As I said in the previous chapter all ideas in this story are my own although some are similar to what was in Breaking Dawn. That's only because I appear to be accurate at predicting what was in that book but, as you can see, there are quite a few things that are different. **

Destruction

It was a few days after my visit to my old home and I woke up once more in Edward's arms. I slowly opened my eyes and smiled happily when I saw his golden ones staring back at me.

"Good morning, love." He smiled and kissed my forehead softly. I snuggled myself against him, not wanting to move from his embrace. "Come on, you need to get up. You go have your human moment and I'll get you breakf—" He cut off with a look of concentration on his face.

"What? What is it?" I asked worriedly. "Edward?" I was beginning to panic when he came out of his daze and smiled at me.

"It's nothing to worry about. Alice had a vision. Apparently Beth and Charlie will start crawling today." He said reassuringly with a smile, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Alice is standing guard at the door of her and Jaspers room. Apparently, Charlie was going to have a look in her closet with devastating effect to her wardrobe." He chuckled and rolled his eyes. You could always trust Alice to be protective over her clothes. I could just picture the tiny pixie-like Alice standing, blocking the door way to her room and looking every bit the vampire she really was.

"We'd better go check on them." I sighed pushing myself out of bed. They were only three months old and were going to be crawling. It wouldn't be long before they could walk. Edward stood up and took my hand in his before walking out of our bedroom to see what mischief our children were up to.

We got to the top of the stair case when Edward stopped walking abruptly, his eyes widening. Before I could say anything he leaned over the banister, looking down at the bottom floor. "Beth, no. Don't." He said hurriedly. Just as he finished speaking a loud crash resounded from downstairs followed by an echoing sound of music. It could only be one thing. The piano.

Edward picked me up in his arms bridal style and ran down to the ground floor at vampire speed while I buried my head into the crook of his shoulder. Even after all this time, it still made me nauseous when he ran that fast. He stopped in front of the piano in less than a second from when we left the third floor. He placed me down carefully before walking quickly over to the piano and lifting it off a surprised Beth. She crawled out from underneath with a piano leg in one hand and her bottom lips trembling. It appeared she must have been trying to pull herself up to try and stand but under estimated her own strength and pulled the leg off completely, causing the piano to fall on top of her. I was thankful she was part vampire as she seemed to be unhurt, just a little surprised.

"Aww, Beth, are you alright?" I asked softly, bending down to pick her up. She nodded her head slightly and buried her face into my hair as she began crying.

"She thinks she's in trouble." Edward said quietly as he dropped the broken piano back on the ground and walked over to me and Beth.

I began to rock her gently, rubbing her back soothingly. "It's ok. You're not in any trouble. It was an accident." She pulled her head back and looked at me then Edward, obviously questioning him in her mind.

He smiled and nodded at her. "Alice?" He said at conversation volume although I had no doubt Alice could here him. It was silent for a few moments. Well, silent for a human like me but Alice was probably talking loud enough for Edward and Beth to hear. "She's already ordering another one, ok?" He asked Beth, stroking her hair softly. She nodded her head slightly, pouting still.

"Where's Charlie?" I asked looking around the room. It was too quiet. He must be up to something. I walked into the sitting room and froze as I looked around. It looked like a miniature hurricane had swept through the room. There were chunks out of the furniture and cushions, stuffing scattering the floor, and an obvious bite mark in the corner of the television screen. "Oh, dear." I muttered. It would seem, like most human babies, Beth had a fascination with putting things in her mouth but ended up biting them to pieces because of her exceptionally sharp teeth. I looked down at her while she stared back innocently, seemingly unaware that this was much worse destruction than what she had done to the piano.

I felt Edward wrap his arms around my waist and he kissed my cheek then Beth's. "Don't worry about it. We have more pressing matters. Carlisle wants us to help him in his study." He said, chuckling slightly. I gave him a questioning look which he just return with a smile and scooped me up in his arms once more before running up the stairs to Carlisle's study, carrying both me and Beth. I squeezed my eyes shut the entire run but Beth just squealed in delight.

He set me down at the door to the study and pushed it open, holding the door for me to walk in first. As I took in the scene a small laugh escaped me. Carlisle was holding a thick hard back book at arms length with Charlie dangling from it by his teeth. Carlisle looked up as soon as we came through the door and looked pointedly at Edward who picked Charlie up by his waist. "Come on Charlie, let go." A small growl erupted from Charlie's chest as they tried to wrestle his new chew toy off him.

Beth seemed to be delighted by this turn of events and was squealing and gurgling with amusement at what was happening. Alice danced past me into the room, winking at me as she passed, and went straight over to Charlie holding a bottle out towards him. He let go of the book immediately and grabbed the bottle out of Alice's outstretched arm. "I thought you might need it." She grinned before leaving the room again, tickling Beth's tummy on the way out.

I looked down at Beth who was smiling happily then to Edward and Charlie, who looked much more content now that he'd had breakfast. Carlisle was studying the book in his hand with a slight frown on his face, there was a huge bite-sized chunk out of the thick hard back and I marvelled at how sharp my children's teeth must be to cause that much damage, never mind that television downstairs.

I smiled as I took in every detail of the unusual family scene and knew that I wouldn't have it any different. My family was perfect and unique. I slowly left the room. I had had enough excitement for one day and I hadn't even eaten breakfast yet. I began to wonder what surprises would be in store for me and my family in the next few days.

**A/N: sorry if it's not that good or for any mistakes but it's nearly one in the morning here. I couldn't go to sleep until I gave you readers the next part of the story.**


	6. Walk the walk

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any other books by Stephanie Meyer…obviously

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any other books by Stephanie Meyer…obviously.**

**Authors note: ok, so here's the next chapter. I kind of combined about three ideas in this one chapter to make it longer than it would have been originally. I just hope it makes sense.**

Walk the walk

**Edward's POV**

It had been four days since the piano incident and not much had happened since then. We had to order replacement furniture for almost every item in the sitting room and to say Emmett was upset about the television being destroyed, would be an understatement.

The rest of my family had gone hunting or shopping, leaving me, Bella, Beth and Charlie at home. Not that I complained, I was just a little concerned as to the kind of trouble they could get into by just being looked after a human and one vampire. Especially with Alice's warning of 'whatever you do, don't let them out of your sight'. It wasn't the warning that had me worried, it was the fact that she decided to block her thoughts and whatever vision she must have had.

I had just left Bella, Beth and Charlie in the nursery to go and get the twins something to drink. Bella insisted she would be alright with them on her own for a few moments but I was doubtful. It wasn't that I doubted her, it was that, well, I was leaving her on her own with two young vampires.

I rounded the corner, heading towards the stairs, at human speed. I had decided to walk as slowly as possible, in case Bella needed me just after I left, until I got to the staircase where I would use my natural speed. It proved to be a good idea when I heard Bella's clumsy footsteps and loud heart beat coming closer a few moments later.

I turned around in time to see Bella come running around the corner and crashed into me. My arms instinctively wrapped around her to stop her from falling. She looked up at me with a huge smile, so full of happiness it was almost overwhelming. I couldn't help but smile back, questioning her with my eyes.

She wriggled out of my arms and grasped one of my hands in hers before trying to pull me down the corridor, towards the stairs. I stood still, wondering why she was acting like this. She turned back at me, pouting slightly. "Come on, Edward. Quick. Let's go." She said as she desperately tugged at my arm.

"What is it, Bella? What's wrong?" I asked frantically, checking her over for damage. Then I heard it. The padding of two sets of small feet against the wooden floors of the corridor. I turned around just in time to see a disarray of bronze hair peek around the corner, followed by Beth's small face with a huge smile on it.

_Daddy!_ Her thoughts shouted at me and she walked quickly towards me, already steady on her feet. _I can walk, Daddy! Look!_

Charlie appeared around the corner with a crooked grin on his face as he followed his sister, walking quickly towards us. _I'm going to beat you, Daddy. _

I tilted my head to the side as I watched their display. The look of pure happiness on their small faces made a smile spread across mine. I felt Bella tugging on my arm again, her beautiful laughter echoing through the corridor. I turned back to her and took a small step in her direction when Charlie appeared in front of us, laughing loudly.

Bella let out a short scream and jumped into my arms. It looked like they had discovered their vampire speed. So that must be the source of Alice's warning. Who knows what mischief they could get into with their newly discovered speed and strength?

I scooped Bella up in my arms bridal style and decided to take on Charlie's challenge. I side stepped him and ran down the stairs quickly but not as fast as I could. I could feel Bella's death grip around my neck and was once again glad that I had no need for oxygen; otherwise I would definitely be strangled by now.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Charlie running just behind me on my left and Beth dancing at my right hand side, keeping pace easily. I pushed myself the limits of my speed, running around the house, up and down the stairs, with the twins right on my tail. I grinned, enjoying the moment and was unable to stop myself from laughing along with the twins tinkling giggles.

I turned my head and looked at Bella, who was now gazing back at me. Although, I could tell she was desperately trying not to look at the surroundings whizzing past. I found myself getting lost in her beautiful pools of brown. I could have been hours or just minutes later and I heard her stomach rumble. I chuckled slightly as a gorgeous blush spread across her cheeks and she averted her gaze. "Time to feed the human." I murmured to her.

She buried her head in the crook of my neck and I ran down to the kitchen, placing her carefully in one of the chairs at the small table. "Esme tried her hand at baking so you can either have cookies or muffins." I said with a smile, indicating to the two large plates in front of her. There must have been enough cookies and muffins to feed an entire family for a week so I wasn't entirely sure how Bella would manage to eat it all on her own.

She picked up a cookie and began to eat it when Beth appeared in the room. She managed to pull herself onto the chair beside Bella and peered at the plates of food, only her eyes visible over the table top. She stretched her hand towards one of the plates and I caught her wrist before she could reach it. "You won't like that Beth." I said softly, moving her hand back to her side and letting go of it. She looked to Bella as if for confirmation then back to me when Bella shook her head at her.

She reached towards the plate, staring at me defiantly with her eyes narrowed and a pout on her small lips. She picked up a cookie and brought it towards her. "Beth, don't." I warned her but she just stuck her tongue out at me in reply. She was obviously as stubborn as her mother.

"Beth, honey, put it down." Bella said gently but Beth just shook her head at her and took a bite of the cookie. A smug smile was in place on her face for a few moments but it quickly turned into a look of disgust.

_Yuck. Daddy, why'd you let me eat it? _She wined in her thoughts, glaring at me. Unbelievable. I did warn her but she ignored me and now it's my fault. I let out a sigh, took the cookie out of her small hand and put it back on her plate.

Charlie came in the room and ran straight to the table, climbing on the chair at the other side of Bella as he eyed the cookies. _Oh, those look yummy. _ I lifted the plate out of his reach. A small frown graced his features as he stared up at the plate in my hand. _But Beth got one. I want one. _His small voice demanded in my head.

"Charlie, you are not getting any." I said and he glared at me. I really can't win. I don't let them get any human food for their own good and they get annoyed at me, or I do let them get their way and they still get annoyed at me. It's a loose, loose situation.

**Bella's POV**

I looked between Beth, Charlie and Edward curiously. The twins obviously weren't happy with their aversion to the treats Esme had made. For a vampire, she was an amazing cook. I often wondered how she could cook so well when the food smelled and tasted like dirt.

I took the last bite out of my cookie just as Charlie jumped off the chair and ran out the room in a blur. Edward frowned and put down the plate he was holding. "Will you be alright for a few minutes, love? I had better keep an eye on him so he doesn't get into trouble." He asked, glancing between me and Beth, who was now glaring at the food on the plates.

"I'll be fine. Make sure he doesn't hurt himself." I smiled at him. I knew that that worry was pretty much unnecessary but I couldn't help worrying over him and Beth. They looked so small and delicate; I didn't want anything to happen to them.

Edward gave me his crooked smile then disappeared out the kitchen following after Charlie. I watched the door for a few seconds after he had gone, my mind wandering. I was brought out of my daze by a loud clattering of metal on the kitchen floor. I jumped in surprise and turned my head to the seat beside me that Beth had been occupying seconds before. I looked towards the kitchen cabinets to see Beth standing amongst a pile of cutlery with the door it had previously been in, in one hand and her other was reaching towards the next drawer along.

"Beth don't. That's bad." I said, some what frantically, as I stood up and took a step towards her. I knew for a fact that that drawer contained the various large knives used for cooking. I knew that she didn't get harmed by the piano so at least her bones were as strong as a vampire's but I wasn't sure exactly how hard her skin was. It did look much more fragile than Edward's or any of the other Cullen's though.

She turned her head towards me slowly and pulled the drawer at the same time. I jumped back slightly as the sharp knives fell around her. She may be part vampire but I wasn't and the last thing I wanted was to get cut by a knife and test the limits of her and Charlie's control.

I stepped towards her slowly, carefully avoiding the various sharp objects that now littered the kitchen floor. She stared up at me wide-eyed with her bottom lip quivering as she let go of both drawers she had had in her hands. She held her arms out to me to pick her up as tears began to leak from her eyes. I bent down and gently lifted her into my arms. "What's wrong, honey? Are you hurt?" I asked her softly, leaning my head back to see her face.

She held her arm out to me and I could see a tiny, faint graze on her fore arm. It was barely any damage, especially compared to what would have happened to me if a drawer full of sharp objects had rained down on me. Apparently, with her being part human made her skin not quite as resistant to injury as a normal vampire would be.

I brought her arm to my face and pressed a gentle kiss on her small injury then wipe the few stray tears from her face. "It's alright Beth. It's only a scratch." I said soothingly, a soft smile on my face. I spun around, towards the kitchen door when I heard the sound of wrenching metal echoing through the house. Beth and I exchanged a worried glance before I started running as fast as my clumsy self would allow, towards the noise.

I headed in the direction of the room that had been used for the twins' birth that now acted like a store room for their bottles of blood. I set Beth down beside me before I reached the room and stopped in shock in the door way.

As my eyes swept the room I took in the details of the scene on front of me. To the right of where I was standing was one of the fridges that was used to keep there bottles which now had a considerable chunk taken out of the corner. Various coloured bottles were falling out of the gap and scattering across the floor. One bottle looked as if it had been bitten into and animal blood was leaking over the floor. The rusty scent of the blood hit me and I could feel the nausea beginning to overcome her.

My eyes focused on Edward, standing in the centre of the room, his eyes black with restrained hunger as he held onto Charlie who was struggling fiercely against his hold. Another wave of nausea washed over me and I felt myself falling backwards. Edward's head snapped up to me, concern and worry clouding his expression, just as the room spun. My muscles tensed as I braced myself for the impact of the hard floor but instead I felt two small hands in the middle of my back when I was a few feet from impact. I was vaguely aware of being lowered gently to the ground and the last thing I saw before my eyes closed completely was a mop of curly bronze hair and Beth's face crumpled with worry.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

My eyes fluttered open and I could hear a loud banging which I assumed to be because of the dizziness I was experiencing after just waking up. I found myself looking into a pair of worry-filled golden eyes and a smile spread across my face. "Welcome back, love." Edward said softly as he swept a strand of my hair off my face and behind my ear.

"Hi." I mumbled slightly sleepily. I felt weight shifting at my side and tilted my head to look for the source. Beth was curled up at my side on the couch and had begun to crawl closer to my face. She wrapped her arms around my neck and placed a small kiss on my cheek. "Thanks for catching me, Beth." I whispered softly as I wrapped my arms around her, rubbing her back gently.

The banging began again and I looked up at Edward with confusion clouding my expression. He gave me his crooked grin and looked pointedly at the ground beside the couch. I turned my head and saw Charlie sitting with his legs outstretched, surrounded by upturned pans, a bottle in one hand, drinking happily and a spoon in the other as he continuously hit the different pots and pans surrounding him. He looked up at me, a smile spreading across his face when he saw I had woken. He lifted his hand holding the spoon to give me a small wave before returning to his assault on the pans around him, banging loudly.

I returned his smile before looking back at Edward, taking one of his hands in mine. My perfect family. Who knew having children could be so eventful.

**A/N: I just have to share this news with you; I was at work about a week ago and I saw this beautiful baby girl who looked exactly like how I pictured Beth to be except she had chocolate brown hair. Then a couple of days later I saw a baby boy who was identical to how I pictured Charlie except he had light brown/ bronze coloured hair. It was seriously weird. **


	7. Talk the talk

Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer so, obviously, I don't own Twilight

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer so, obviously, I don't own Twilight.**

**Authors Note: thanks for the reviews and here's the next chapter**.

Talk the talk

It is now a week after Charlie and Beth learned to walk and in that week they have grown about half a foot so they are now my knee height. Apparently Alice had pre-ordered a replacement fridge before Charlie had destroyed it so it was delivered the next day. Edward, along with most of his family, had gone hunting from the weekend and should be returning later today. But Alice and Esme had volunteered to stay home because they had been hunting a few days before. Esme was now working in the garden and I was sure Alice was somewhere around the house but I hadn't seen her since this morning. She had probably gone outside to help Esme.

I was walking along the corridor towards the nursery, humming to myself happily. I had just been downstairs to get lunch for Beth and Charlie and had, surprisingly, managed to carry four bottles all the way up the stairs to the third floor with out dropping them or tripping once.

I stopped in the doorway of the nursery, a frown forming on my face, as I looked at the empty room. Both Beth and Charlie had been playing in there happily five minutes ago when I left them. I walked into the room, searching behind their cribs and anywhere else they might hide but they were nowhere to be found. A frown crossed my face and I was beginning to panic. I crammed the bottles into the pockets of my large hooded jacket. (Alice had protested about me wearing it this morning but I didn't see the need to dress up when I'm spending the day in the house.)

I glanced around the room once more, just in case, and then walked back into the corridor, searching rooms along the way. I jumped, startled when a loud cry echoed through the house.

"Beh-waaaaah!" A small high pitched voice cried, trailing off into a wail at the end of my name. Joy rushed through me that one of my children had learned to speak but worry was also prominent. What had happened to make them cry?

I ran down the stairs towards the noise which had now turned in to quiet snuffling sounds. I found myself at Alice and Jaspers room and saw Alice crouched down beside Beth who had tears leaking from her eyes and chewing on one of Alice's many designer shoes' heel. Scattered around her were various different colours and styles of high heeled shoes which now had the heels bitten off them.

When I stopped just inside the room they both looked up at me. Beth dropped the shoe and stood up, walking towards me with her arms outstretched.

"Mommy." She said as she wrapped her arms around my knees and buried her head in my jeans. I reached down and patted her head before scooping her up in my arms as she rubbed her small hands in her eyes, wiping the tears away. I kissed the top of her head and looked up at Alice who was now standing beside me with an apologetic look on her face.

"What happened?" I asked softly as I rubbed Beth's back soothingly, worried she had managed to get herself hurt.

Alice looked down at the ground then back at me. "She made a split second decision so I didn't see it and I was a bit shock when I came in here." She said as she patted Beth's disarray of bronze locks.

I let out a small laugh as Beth stuck her tongue out at Alice and Alice retaliated, doing the same. I smiled as I watched Beth who looked a lot happier than before then glanced around the room.

"Alice? Have you seen Charlie?" I looked at her but could tell by the worry on her face that she obviously hadn't.

Before she could speak Beth answered. "Char-wee said he wanted to go out and pway." She said simply in her small angel-like voice. My head snapped up at Alice, wide-eyed. If he was outside it was most likely he would wander off and get lost.

Alice was frozen, her eyes glazed over in a vision and I waited impatiently until she finished. Her eyes refocused and her face crumpled in worry like I've only seen a couple of times before, one of them being just after I went cliff diving, when Edward made his decision to go to Italy.

"What? What is it Alice?" I asked frantically desperate to know the cause of her reaction.

"I…I can't see him. His future disappeared." She whispered, almost inaudible. I froze in shock. That could only mean one thing. Werewolves.

**A/N: Sorry it's so short but I couldn't resist having a cliff hanger. The wait for the next chapter shouldn't be long thought, either later today or tomorrow. **


	8. Panic

Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer and therefore do not own Twilight

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer and therefore do not own Twilight.**

**Authors note: I love being evil and leaving cliff hangers and I'm sorry I didn't get it out earlier. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and here's the next chapter.**

Panic

"_I…I can't see him. His future disappeared." She whispered, almost inaudible. I froze in shock. That could only mean one thing. Werewolves._

I stood there for a few moments, my heart pounding in my ears and my breathing becoming erratic. I had to find him. I had to make sure he was alright. Right now, nothing could stand in my way from protecting my baby boy. I was willing to take on a pack of werewolves to stop anything from happening to him. Some may call it idiocy, but I knew in my heart it was something more natural, more powerful. It was my newfound mother's instinct. I had to protect him no matter what and if that meant protecting him from werewolves, then so be it.

"Alice." I said handing her Beth. "Keep her here, look after her and make sure nothing happens to her. I need to go." I said in a rush, looking at her pleadingly before turning quickly towards the door. Before I could even take one step out into the corridor I felt someone grab my arm and spun around to see Alice holding my wrist in a vice like grip.

"Bella, I can't let you go. I can't. Your future will disappear and I won't know if you're alright or not." She said with worried eyes as Beth glanced between both of us, trying to understand what was wrong.

"Don't you understand?" I demanded, my anger growing at being stopped from going to save my son. "I have to get him. I have to protect him." I said forcefully then cut her off as she was about to object. "I'm the only one who can, Alice. If you set foot over the border you'll have broken the treaty and who knows what they would do to you. I'm human. I can still be on their land." I reasoned then my expression softened. "Please, Alice. I have to help him." I whispered, the tears beginning to build up in my eyes.

She reluctantly loosened her grasp on my wrist and nodded slightly. She knew I was right. "Alright. Be careful, Bella." Her face was crumpled in concern.

I gave her a small smile and turned towards the door before looking back at her over my shoulder. "Call Edward and tell him to come home but don't let him come after me." I said softly. I knew that even if Alice passed on my message he would ignore it and come to get me and Charlie but I had to try. If worst came to worst, at least he and Beth would be ok, as well as the rest of the family.

I ran along the corridor and down the stairs as fast as I could and, surprisingly, I didn't fall. I figured that the overwhelming need to protect had some how helped my balance but ignored the thought as I ran out the front door and down the porch steps. I looked around the front of the house frantically, searching for a clue of the direction Charlie went in. He must have gone into the woods around the front of the house because Esme was in the garden around the back, at the very bottom of the garden, and would have seen him otherwise. As my eyes searched the edge of the woods I caught sight of a small patch of colour at the edge of the trees on one side of the drive.

I rushed over to the object and bent down to pick it up when I got close enough. It was the wooden spoon Edward have given Charlie that day when I had fainted. Charlie hadn't let go of it since then, hitting it against anything he came across to see if it made a noise. But now it was here and he wasn't.

I took off into the forest, running in the general direction of La Push. I stumbled constantly but picked myself up off the ground and urged myself on. He couldn't have gone far, could he? But, then again, he was a vampire. He could have ran at full speed and been in La Push in a matter of minutes. At that thought I pushed myself faster and ignored the burning of my muscles. I knew if I stopped to rest now it would be difficult to start again and I didn't want to waste any time on rest when Charlie was in danger.

As I ran the only sound I could hear was the beating of my heart in my ears. The woods were abnormally quiet, as if holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. I wasn't sure how long had passed. It might have been minutes or it might have been hours. Time seemed to have a whole new meaning to me now. No matter how long had passed it was a second too long for me to be separated from Charlie. Beth would be fine. She had Alice and Esme and the rest of the family would be home soon as well. Charlie was a different matter. I had no idea where he was or what was happening to him.

A terror filled scream pierced the air, breaking me out of my thoughts. My head snapped to my right and I ran in the direction of the noise. The thick canopy of leaves prevented much light from filtering through, making it much harder than normal for me to see far ahead of me. I squinted through the trees and saw a patch of light, which I assumed to be a clearing.

I forced my legs to run faster, stumbling on protruding tree roots but I managed to regain my balance. My breathing was becoming even more erratic and anxiety tightened in my chest, making it hard for me to breath. Doubtful questions rushed through my mind; would I get there in time? What if I was too late? As I ran I cursed my clumsiness and humanity. No matter how fast I tried to push myself, I was still too slow. It was like a nightmare when you run and run but never get any closer to where you want to go most. Terror filled me as I remembered that day in Volterra. The same anxiety, the same panic. The danger was different but the result was pretty much the same. I could loose someone I love. I had managed to get there in time then but what to say I would get there this time?

As I approached the small clearing I could see Charlie sitting on the ground, curled in a ball, his body shaking as he cried. My eyes moved to the other side of the tiny clearing, only a few feet away, and saw a large black wolf emerging from the trees, walking straight towards Charlie.

I recognised the black wolf to be Sam, the reserved leader of the Quilette pack. As I approached the clearing both Charlie and Sam looked up at me simultaneously. I was honestly surprised they didn't see me earlier but they must have been preoccupied by each other, trying to guess the other's next move.

When Charlie laid eyes on me his face instantly lit up in a smile and he stood up, turning towards me. Before he could even take a step in my direction my view was blocked by Sam's large wolf form and I could hear him growling warningly at Charlie. I realised Sam's good intentions were him trying to protect me but my anger overruled. He was blocking my way, the only thing between me and my child.

"Sam, don't!" I shouted angrily as I ran into the clearing and towards Charlie. I ran past him and stood between him and Charlie, glaring at him. My lunges burned from the lack of oxygen as my chest rose and fell heavily from my running. I knew I wouldn't be hard to move out the way but what else could I do?

Sam took a small step back, obviously a little shocked at my reaction. I turned my attention to Charlie who still had tears pouring from his eyes. I held my arms out towards him and he took a small step towards me with a smile on his face, still a few feet away, before stopping abruptly. His smile faltered and I gave him a questioning look. "Mommy, I'm hungry." He said, his bottom lip quivering.

Sam let out a low growl and took a step towards us. I turned my head slightly to glare at him as Charlie started crying. If I didn't know I would get hurt if I hit Sam, I would have. Werewolf or not, he still scared my baby.

Just then I remembered putting the bottles in my pockets and pulled one out, holding it towards Charlie. He had taken the bottle out my hand, put it in his mouth and was in my arms before I registered he had moved at all. I stood up, Charlie sitting o my hip and held him tightly to me. I stroked his soft hair and rocked him from side to side as I tried to calm the small sobs still coming from him.

Now that I had Charlie in my arms my anger had disappeared and I realised that I was alone in the forest with a werewolf. That wasn't the fact that bothered me. I knew I would be fine. Sam wouldn't hurt me; he was a 'protector'. But it Charlie was my main concern. As realisation dawned I was now aware that I could do nothing to protect him. I was a human, nothing more.

"Bella?" A voice laced with concern broke through my thoughts. It was a voice I recognised so well. A voice belonging to the person I loved. Someone who's safety was now added to my list of concerns. I didn't want him to put himself in danger but, as always, he was here when I needed him most in one of my many dangerous situations.

I turned towards the edge of the clearing to see Edward, his face an emotionless mask but his eyes glowing with concern, and Beth standing beside him, holding his hand in hers. Out of the corner of my eye I could see several large wolves make their presence know and walk slowly into the clearing. Edward began to take a step towards me and Sam let out a loud warning growl, obviously talking to Edward with his mind.

"I do remember the agreements of the treaty and I know this is Quilette land." Edward hissed angrily. "But if Bella or either of my children is in danger then I'll be there to protect them, no matter what." He said and began to walk towards me again just as Sam took a step in our direction.

"Don't come any closer to me and mommy!" I jumped slightly at the sound of the unexpected voice coming from Charlie. I looked down at him and saw him staring at Sam with his eyes narrowed and the empty bottle in his hand. What was unexpected was the sound of his voice. It was soft, musical and sounded as if it was…layered. It was like he was peaking at different pitches, high and low, all at once. A small frown of confusion appeared on my face as I looked up at Sam to see him where he had been, not even an inch closer. I glanced around the clearing and saw the rest of the pack standing at the edges of the forest. Edward was where he had been but Beth was no longer holding his hand. She was standing quietly beside him, looking around in wonder at the wolves with her hands over her ears, probably because of Sam's growl. It seemed as if nothing had changed except Edward, Sam and the rest of the pack were no longer walking towards me and Charlie.

I looked back down at Charlie then at Edward who had his gaze focused on Sam, apparently listening to his thoughts as he would speak every few seconds but too quickly and quietly for me to understand. I placed a soft kiss on the top of Charlie's head, holding him close to me and took a step towards Edward. As soon as I moved he took a step back wards, a seemingly sub-conscious movement. I frowned and took another step towards him as he took another back. Could this have something to do with what Charlie said?

Edward still had his eyes locked with Sam and I took another step towards him, testing my possible theory. As predicted, he took another back. It had to have something to do with Charlie. I was sure of it. We had possibly just discovered Charlie's power and Edward was unaware.

"Daddy, stop moving away fwom us." Charlie demanded, frustrated, and in that same layered voice as before. It sounded so lovely and hypnotic. It vaguely reminded me of when Edward 'dazzled' me.

I took a hesitant step towards Edward and he stayed where he was, not moving away like before. I let out a small sigh of relief and walked as quickly as I could towards him. His head snapped towards me and he held out his hands for me. I wrapped my free arm around his waist and leaned my head against his shoulder. I felt unbelievably safe in his arms but the anxiety towards his safety was still eating away at me.

"Bella, don't you ever do that to me again. I can't bear to loose you." His voice full of sincerity and love as he spoke, looking in to my eyes as his brow furrowed with concern. "Either of you." He said and looked down at Charlie in my arms. He planted a kiss on my forehead then Charlie's. "No more running away?" He asked Charlie with his eyebrows raised. I felt Charlie's head nodding as he leaned it on my shoulder and buried his face in my hair.

"Edward, I told you not to come. You shouldn't be here." I whispered frantically to him although I knew everyone else in the clearing would be able to hear me. I studied his face and his eyes moved from Charlie back to me as his expression hardened.

"Don't be absurd. I'm not leaving you, Bella." He said forcefully then looked over my head, into the clearing. I followed his gaze and saw that Sam was now in his human form, dressed only in jeans at the far side of the clearing, surrounded by the rest of his pack who were still in their wolf forms.

I looked down and saw Beth at Edward's side, a few steps in front of us and staring at the wolves in obvious fascination. "Beth, come back here." I heard Edward's voice from beside me and she turned towards him with a smile on her face but didn't move.

"Look, Daddy! That one." She said happily as she pointed at a wolf on the other side of the clearing. I looked towards the pack and saw she was pointing at a large russet wolf, Jake. "That woofie! Its Mommy's fwiend, Jake, isn't it?" She said excitedly and took a small step towards them.

"Beth. Come back here, right now." Edward said forcefully. Beth's face fell and turned into a pout as she took a few steps backwards so she was standing beside us.

"But, Daddy," She whined, looking up at him, "Jake isn't going to hurt us and that woofie isn't." She said and pointed to a sandy coloured wolf which I recognised as Seth. I looked down at her, my face crumpled in confusion, then turned towards Edward.

"She's very perceptive." He said quietly with a slight smile on his perfect face. "She noticed that all of them apart from Jake and Seth are tensed, as if ready to attack." He explained and I instantly froze. "Don't worry. They wont make a move until their given the command and Sam doesn't want that to happen right now." He said and rubbed his hand up and down my arm soothingly.

I looked back towards Sam who stood amongst the werewolves, his face an emotionless mask as always. It was then that I realised I was breathing in short bursts and shaking slightly. I was beginning to panic again. I had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen. I calmed slightly as I felt Edward's lips brush my hair and felt Beth's small hand on my side, comfortingly. Edward was right; she was perceptive.

I smiled down at her as she looked up with worried eyes. I moved my gaze towards Sam when he began to speak and bit my lip nervously.

"As you are well aware; the treaty states that none of your kind is allowed on our land," He began; looking directly at Edward then shifted his gaze towards Beth and Charlie, "Including those creatures." Edward let out a low growl and I tightened my arm around him. "This time I am willing to overlook the situation as the child was unaware of the border. However, any vampire that sets foot on Quillette land from this point on will be dealt with by us, regardless of their age." Sam spoke in his usually calm voice but I thought I saw a hint of regret in his eyes.

My vision began to blur as tears spilled from my eyes at the possibility of loosing Charlie or Beth. I was sure that they were now well aware of the situation and wouldn't come back here again but there was always a slight possibility. I felt Edward tense behind me at the threat and brought me closer to his side, reaching past me to take Beth's small hand in his. My eyes moved over the various wolves and stopped on the familiar russet colour wolf. He tilted his head to the side, giving me his wolfie grin which cased a small laugh to escape through the sobs that were now raking my body.

We stood there in silence for a few seconds before I found myself cradled in Edward's arms with Charlie lying in my arms. He had been pretty much silent through the whole time we were there so I assumed he was still shocked by what had happened. I would have to mention what had happened when he spoke in that layered voice when I got home because it was obvious Edward didn't remember it.

"Beth, come on. We're going home." I heard Edward say softly and craned my neck so I could see my baby daughter. She stood still, staring at the wolves with the same look of fascination as before. I marvelled at the different affect the werewolves had on each of my children. One was practically terrified at the wolves but the other was completely fascinated.

Beth lifted her head towards us glanced back at the wolves, waving her arm enthusiastically at them. "Bye-bye, Jacob! Bye-bye, woofies!" She said happily and turned quickly running into the woods at vampire speed in the direction of the Cullen mansion.

Edward let out a small chuckle at her enthusiasm and ran into the woods after her. I kept my gaze on the top of Charlie's head with was covered in chocolate brown wisps of hair. From this point on, I wouldn't be letting my children out of my sight. I now knew why Edward worried too much about me. I was only human and prone to accidents. Whereas Beth and Charlie were half vampire but I was still panicked at the thought of them getting hurt. All I needed to do was make sure they didn't get hurt. How hard could it be?

**A/N: I think the start was quite good but I don't think the second half was as good as it could have been. I wanted to get it finished so I could post it though. I hope its ok! I was going to extend it so it had exactly what Charlie's power is but decided to make a different chapter from that. I should be updating within the next few days but I'm beginning to get homework from school so I can't promise anything **


	9. POwer of Persuasion

Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer and therefore, do not own Twilight

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer and therefore, do not own Twilight**

**Authors note: Thank you to all who reviewed. I wasn't sure about the ending of that chapter because I really rushed it but you seemed to like it…anyway, here's the next chapter explaining Charlie's power and saying what it is. Only one person who reviewed managed to get it right. Well done,** oirishgoddess!

Power of persuasion

Edward ran smoothly as Charlie and I lay in his arms. If I hadn't been so worried I probably would have fallen asleep although the journey would undoubtedly be short. I stared down at the top of Charlie's head as I played with the small amount of messy brown hair, a small smile on my face. I had succeeded, my baby boy was safe.

I scream broke me out of my thoughts and I tensed in Edwards arms. It had come from not too far in front of us and I was sure it was Beth. My breathing immediately came in rapid gasps, my heart beating wildly.

Edward chuckled, his chest vibrating against my chest and I looked up at him, puzzled. Why would he be laughing when Beth screamed? He leaned down towards me and pressed a gently kiss on my lips. "Calm down, Bella. Look." He said and indicated by nodding his head to the side. My gaze immediately went in the direction he had pointed out and I squinted my eyes to see further.

Emmett suddenly appeared, running along side Edward with a huge grin on his face. Beth was sitting on top of his shoulders, holding on tightly to his curly brown hair and laughing delightedly. She chanced a quick wave in my direction and I smiled at the look of pure happiness on her face.

Charlie caught sight of her and stood up on my stomach. I grabbed him round his waist to keep him steady so he wouldn't fall, although, I doubted he would because he was part vampire. "Hey! No fair! I want a go!" He demanded, resting his hands on his hips and pouted at Beth who just laughed in response.

He swivelled his head around, apparently looking for something. His eyes focused on something to Edward's left, above my head so I was unable to see what or who it was, and a grin spread across his face. Before my brain could register what had happened, he had disappeared and my hands were now completely empty. I stared down at them in shock, as if looking at them long enough would make him reappear. Edwards chuckling brought me out of my daze and I looked up at him, no doubt my face showing the confusion I still felt.

"Look behind you, Bella." He said softly and I craned my neck to look behind me. I almost jumped in Edward's arms when I saw Jasper running alongside Edward with Charlie sitting on his shoulders, just as Beth was on Emmett's.

I laughed when Beth and Charlie started to challenge each other to who would get home first. I rested my head on Edward's shoulder and it wasn't long before I felt his running slowing then come to a stop. I looked around and saw we were in front of the large mansion-like house.

Emmett, Jasper, Charlie and Beth emerge from the trees simultaneously and I turned towards them with a small smile on my face. It was incredible amusing watch Beth and Charlie arguing about trivial things like racing each other home while riding their uncles' shoulders. Emmett and Jasper looked just as amused at their reactions as me.

"I won." Beth sang in her small high pitched voice.

"No, I won." Charlie stated defiantly, narrowing his eyes at his sister.

"You didn't. I did."

"No, I did."

I glanced between the two of them as they continued their argument. "Actually, I won." I spoke up with an amused smile across my face as their heads swivelled towards me, frowns gracing their expressions. I had managed to stop their first argument successfully which was quite and achievement for me. "Your father was carrying me and he got here first so you both lost, happy now?" Their expressions told me they anything but happy at my evaluation but knew I was right so they didn't try to argue with my reasoning.

"Nicely done." I heard Edward's chuckle from behind me, amusement lacing his tone. I turned to him with a smile on my face and wrapped my arms around him. I remembered my suspicions from our encounter in the clearing and looked up at Edward with a small frown on my face.

"Edward?" I asked softly. He had been watching Beth and Charlie with a bemused expression but looked down at me when I spoke.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked quickly, looking at me worriedly after he noted my expression.

I shook my head and gave him a small reassuring smile. "Nothing's wrong." I said and looked over at Charlie thoughtfully. "Edward, I think Charlie has gift. You know, like you, Alice and Jasper? I'm not sure what it is exactly but he used it on you and the pack but you don't remember." I said as I frowned in confusion.

"What?" I tilted my head up to look at him, seeing a matching look of confusion on his face. "What did he do? When did he use his power on me?" He asked, looking adorably confused.

"I have a power?" An excited voice sounded from beside me and I laid my eyes on Charlie who had a huge grin on his face. He turned his head to Beth who was standing beside him and stuck his tongue out at her. "Ha-ha, I have a power and you don't." He sang happily looking at her with a smug expression on his face. Beth just rolled her eyes at him and looked back at me expectantly, no doubt wanting to know what kind of gift her brother had. My gaze travelled upwards and I saw we were surrounded by the rest of the family, watching me curiously and I automatically blushed from all the attention.

"Well, when we were in the clearing" I cringed at the memory of almost loosing my baby boy, "with Sam, just when the rest of the pack and you came, Charlie spoke and…" I frowned slightly, knowing my explanation was poor at best but not knowing how to continue. "His voice sounded layered. It's hard to explain but it was as if he was talking in different pitches all at once so his voice was more musical and persuasive than usual. Anyway, after he spoke everybody stopped walking towards us and did what he asked."

"Can you remember exactly what he said?" Carlisle asked curiously taking a step closer to me.

"I said, 'Don't come any closer to me and mommy' to that stinky woof 'cause I thinked he might hurt her." Charlie spoke up, a frown gracing his features at the memory.

I nodded my head slightly then looked up at Edward. "When I tried to walk towards you, you kept walking away." A pained expression fell upon Edward's face so I quickly finished my explanation. "It seemed that you were doing it sub-consciously. I don't think you even noticed I was trying to get closer to you and Charlie got frustrated so-"I was cut off mid-sentence by Charlie.

"So, I said, 'Daddy, stop moving away fwom us.' And he did what I told him to." He stated triumphantly with a smug grin on his face.

Carlisle nodded thoughtfully but the rest of the family just looked at Charlie with astonishment. "It appears that Charlie has some sort of ability to convince people to do whatever he wants without them knowing it. It seems similar to hypnotism but using his voice and it would seem that he doesn't need eye contact." He said watching Charlie curiously. "I also assume that he can use this for of 'persuasion' to more than one person at a time but if he's going to single someone out he needs to address them specifically like he did when he spoke to Edward." He glanced around everyone in the disjointed looking circle and then back to Charlie. "I think we should test these theories to try and learn the extent of his power."

Charlie nodded and looked around the rest of the family, searching for his first victim. He skipped happily over to Emmett, craning his neck to look at him and smiling innocently. "Emmett," He sang, his voice identical to the layered one I heard when we were in the clearing. A collective gasp went around everyone so I assumed they could hear the change in his voice too. Emmett looked at him apprehensively and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Charlie speaking again. Obviously, Emmett had heard the change too. "Play with me on the X-box?" He asked although it sounded more like a statement.

I watched in amazement as Emmett's eyes became distant for a second before a smile spread across his face and he nodded. "Sure thing, kiddo. I'll just go set it up." He said and disappeared into the house.

Charlie laughed happily and turned to Alice, whose eyes had just refocused from having a vision. "Charlie, don't you da-"

"Alice, Buy me a dwum kit?" He interrupted with his layered voice, excitement dancing in his eyes. Alice's eyes unfocused for a second just like Emmett's had and she disappeared up into the house as well. She was probably headed for the computer to order the drum kit. I had no doubt in my mind that she would happily have bought the drum kit for the main reason of shopping but only protested because she didn't want to be manipulated by her nephew.

Charlie clapped his hands and looked around at the remaining family members who were all eyeing him with suspicion. He took a few quick steps and stopped in front of me and Edward. I felt Edward tense behind me and looked up to see him staring at Charlie in astonishment. "Charlie." He said warningly and narrowed his eyes at him.

I glanced between then, curious to know what though Edward had just heard to make him react like that and when Charlie spoke I knew I was about to find out. "Daddy," He said innocently and held his hand out towards him, "Give me the keys to the Volvo?" He demanded in his musical layered voice.

I looked to Edward in astonishment as he slowly moved his hand to his pocket and removed his beloved car's keys. His face was crumpled in determination, trying to fight Charlie's power but to no avail and reluctantly placed the car keys in Charlie's out stretched hand. Charlie looked down at the keys in his hand with a grin on his face and skipped slowly towards the garage.

"Charlie Anthony Swan Cullen, don't you even think about driving your father's car." I said sternly. After that fright , there was no way I would allow Charlie to put himself in danger any more today or the rest of his existence if I could help it and driving a car when he was a few months old definitely came under 'dangerous activities'. "Give me the keys, please." I said, my expression softening slightly.

He stopped mid-skip and turned around to look at me, his face darkened to a scowl as he glared at me. Apparently, he wasn't happy about me stopping his fun. "Mommy, let me drive daddy's car?" He stated smugly, his voice laced with his power.

I raised my eyebrows at him and smiled just as smugly back at him, holding my hand out. "No, give me the keys." I said and walked towards him, taking the keys from his small hand as he stared at me in astonishment. We hadn't explained that I was immune to any powers involving the mind yet so I guess it was a bit of a surprise for him to realise his power didn't work on me.

He gave me one last glare and stormed off into the house. He looked absolutely adorable when he was annoyed and I couldn't help but smile at his retreating form. I turned back to Edward and walked over to him, handing him his keys and placing a kiss on his lips.

He smiled down at me "Thank you, love." He lifted his head and looked after Charlie with a small frown on his face. "His power is going to be dangerous if he doesn't use it properly or if it falls into the wrong hands." He muttered just loud enough for me to hear. I shuddered, knowing he meant the Volturi. If they knew about his power they would most definitely want him to join them.

"The 'power of persuasion' can be a dangerous thing." Esme said softly and gave me a warm smile. "We're all going to have to keep our eye on him but especially you, Bella. You're the only one of us who is immune to his gift."

Great, yet another responsibility of a young baby; don't let him manipulate the rest of your family. Easier said than done.


	10. The Game

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight**

**Authors note: I tried to get this chapter out as quickly as possible so I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed…**

The game

It had been three days since Charlie ran off on his own, three days since the incident with the wolves in the clearing, three days since Charlie discovered his power. Right now, I'm not sure which was worse.

Charlie has been causing complete havoc around the house in those short three days. He had managed to convince Emmett to wrestle with him which didn't end well. Mostly because Charlie got a bit too carried away, acting on his instincts and ended up throwing Emmett out the living room window before turning his attention to me. Obviously, him acting on instinct included his blood-lust and me being a human, well; let's just say it's not exactly the best combination. Edward and Jasper managed to calm him down enough for him to realise what he had almost done and he had promised not to abuse his power.

The day after, he was using his power again and using anyone who came near him as a slave to get whatever he wanted. I realised that he obviously didn't comprehend what the phrase 'not to abuse his power' meant.

On a lighter note; we discovered that Charlie's power doesn't work quite as well on Beth as the rest of the family, excluding me. He has to concentrate extremely hard to get her to respond fully to his power and even harder if she fights against it with her mind. The more resistant someone is the harder it is to 'persuade' them. Carlisle's theory is that Beth and Charlie are so extremely similar, both being half-human and half-vampire as well as being twins, that there powers wont work as well on each other. That is, if Beth has a power but we were yet to find out.

I sat in the sitting room of the Cullen's mansion on one of the couches beside Edward with my legs tucked up underneath me and leaning against his chest as he draped his arm across my shoulders, holding me close to him. I held a book in my hands, glancing occasionally at Edward, who was also reading, or around the room. Charlie and Beth were sitting side by side on the other couch, watching a children's cartoon on T.V. It was the only way to keep them both occupied and sitting still for any length of time.

I looked towards our children as they sat silently and saw a smile spread slowly across Charlie's face as he glanced at Edward out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't even think about it, Charlie. After what happened last time you are not allowed to challenge anyone to a wrestling match unless we're sure you won't get carried away." Edward said calmly from beside me without even looking up from his book.

Charlie's face quickly turned into a scowl and he returned his eyes to the television. I dropped my gaze to my book and began reading it again but a few minutes later a movement caught my eye and I raised my head, watching Charlie and Beth. A second later I saw Charlie nudge Beth with his elbow as Beth turned to him expectantly and slightly annoyed from being interrupted from the programme they were watching. Charlie continued to stare at the television screen, pretending he hadn't noticed Beth staring at him. As soon as she turned her head back towards the screen he elbowed her in her side again.

"What is it, Charlie?" She asked exasperatedly and turned towards him again.

"What?" He asked her innocently and smiled at her, not fooling anyone of his innocence. I realised that he was annoying her deliberately. Boys.

"You know what; you keep hitting me." She frowned at him, clearly annoyed.

"I'm not."

"You are so."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"No, I'm not _hitting_ you, I'm _nudging_ you. There's a difference." Charlie protested, a smile spreading across his face at her clearly annoyed expression.

"Fine." She glared at him and looked back to the T.V. only to be 'nudged' by Charlie as soon as her head was turned.

"Stop it, Charlie." She whined and turned so she was facing him with a glare on her face.

"Stop what?" He asked, trying to repress a smirk from his face.

She put her hand on his upper arm and shoved him so he had to brace his arm on the couch beside him to stop him from falling onto his side. He turned to me with a small frown on his face. "Mommy, Beth hit me." He pointed an accusing finger at Beth and narrowed his eyes at her.

She sat with her hands on her lap, swinging her legs back and forth with an innocent smile on her face which looked much more convincing than Charlie's did. "No, Charlie, I didn't _hit_ you; I _pushed_ you." She said with the same tone he had used earlier.

I held back my smile that she had outwitted him and the shocked look on his face at her statement. Apparently, his plan hadn't gone accordingly. "Stop fighting, both of you." I said and looked between them.

Charlie completely ignored what I said and pushed Beth so she fell on her side on the couch. Beth pushed him back, then he pushed her, she pushed him back, then he pushed her again. It went on for a few moments before Beth shoved Charlie harder than she had previously and he fell right off the end of the couch, flying a few feet in the air before landing with a thud on the floor.

He picked himself up and lunged at Beth, a small growl echoing around the room. I just had time to gasp before Edward was standing in front of me protectively; obviously remembering the last time Charlie was involved in a fight.

I stood up on the couch and looked over Edward's shoulder anxiously. Edward hadn't moved from where he was standing in front of me so I knew I was in most danger at the moment. Although I knew Beth and Charlie wouldn't hurt each other, I was still worried.

Charlie had his arms around Beth's middle, pinning her arms to her sides and lifting her a few inches off the ground. She struggled in his grip and in a few moments she broke free, running behind him in a blur of movement. A look of surprise flashed across Charlie's face before he was pinned on the ground, face down with his arms bent awkwardly up his back. Beth sat on his back with a triumphant grin on her face as she held him down. The way she held his arms prevented him from being able to fight back properly.

We had recently discovered that Charlie and Beth were both only slightly faster than Edward. Beth was slightly faster than Charlie whereas he was slightly stronger than her.

When Charlie finally relaxed in defeat Beth released him. "I win." She sang and giggled at him as she stood up. Edward stepped back and wrapped an arm around my waist. He looked like he was about to tell Beth and Charlie off but his head snapped towards the door to the sitting room and a moment later Alice was standing in the door way.

"There's going to be a storm later. Does anybody want to have a game?" She asked with a grin on her face and I could hear murmurs of agreement throughout the house from the other family members but Emmett's cheer was by far the loudest.

Beth and Charlie looked at each other in confusion then gazed at Edward expectantly as a smile spread across his face. They're first vampire baseball game. What could possibly go wrong?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Apparently a lot could go wrong. We were standing in the middle of the large clearing where the game would be taking place. The rain was pouring down and lightening flashed across the sky as thunder echoed in the distance. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself and continued to watch the game. I had insisted on coming with them. I wouldn't miss this for the world. I was unbelievably grateful for Alice's foresight to have me dressed warmly with waterproof clothing over the top. That way I wouldn't get ill because of the cold.

Esme was on the opposite side of the clearing from me so she could referee better. Edward, Charlie, Jasper and Rosalie were currently fielding while Beth, Alice, Carlisle and Emmett were batting. I still marvelled as I watched them with their blurred movements while they played. Edward's team were only just winning even though Charlie had been trying to cheat but was soon warned that if he did it again he would be out of the game.

**Edward's POV**

I was in the outfield, as always, while I watched Beth step up to bat. I smiled at how sweet she looked, so much like Bella. The bat was almost as tall as her but she seemed unfazed by that and stared at Carlisle with a look of fierce determination on her face.

I glanced across the clearing to Bella where she stood near the edge of the trees and frowned slightly. I wasn't happy that she was out in this kind of weather but she was so stubborn and absolutely refused to stay at home. My gaze snapped back to Beth as Carlisle threw the ball and Beth hit it, making it soar through the air. I turned on my heel and sprinted through the woods, watching it as it as it began its decent.

Beth could certainly hit hard, not quite as hard as Charlie or Emmett but enough to make me run farther than I normally would. I stopped and turned to catch the ball just as my mind was filled with images, a vision that was currently running through Alice's mind.

_Vision_

_It was back in the clearing, where I had been just moments before. The rain poured, lightening flashed. Bella stood at the edge, just beside the trees like before as she watched the game. _

_I watched as she took a small step backwards just as a bolt of lightening flashed through the sky dangerously closely, striking the tree she had just stepped under. A loud crack echoed through the clearing as a high branch from the tree Bella was standing under fell through the air towards her. _

The vision ended just before the branch hit her and a loud crack echoed around the forest so I knew it was happening right now. Alice had only just gotten the vision a split second before it happened. I ran in the direction of the clearing, pushing myself faster and faster. I had to get there in time. I just had to. The trees flew past me as I ran and I could see clearing rapidly approaching but not quickly enough.

Fear coursed through me as I saw the branch hurtling towards the ground, identical to what I just saw in the vision. My breathing increased rapidly, not from the excursion of my running but from the panic I felt at seeing Bella in danger but not being able to help her. I pushed myself to my limits but it wasn't fast enough.

One thought ran through my mind; I wasn't going to get there in time.

**A/N: Sorry, but once again I couldn't resist having a cliff hanger. I'll probably post tomorrow though so you won't be waiting long. Review, please.**


	11. One good power deserves another

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight.**

**Authors note: I told you, you wouldn't have to wait long but I'm not sure if this chapter will seem really random or not because I'm a bit hyper. I drank a litre bottle of 'Red Rooster' which I a high caffeine content energy drink…It actually says not suitable for people sensitive to caffeine and I'm beginning to think that means me because the last time I had it I started sword fighting with my brother with his peter pan and captain hook swords…I also ramble a lot, as you can tell. Anyway, I want to congratulate **RenesmeCullen **and** UrEveryDayDork. **Who guessed correctly about what would happen in this chapter.**

One good power deserves another

I watched Beth swing the bat at the ball as the rain continued to pour. The sky was beginning to darken and it was making it even more difficult for me to see everything that was happening in the game. The sound of Beth hitting the ball echoed throughout the clearing and I watched the ball sail through the air until it was too consumed with darkness for me to see it.

I looked back to see Beth's blurring form run around the clearing as she passed the bases. I took a step backwards to try and shelter myself from the rain which was pouring even harder now and my eyes darted towards Alice.

I froze as I saw her eyes were vacant and a look of horror on her face. I began to panic as my mind raced with thoughts of what it could be that induced the vision. Were the Volturi coming for me? The wolves coming again? Or was it, once again, nomad vampires? Images from that time in the clearing a few years ago when James's coven had appeared flooded my mind.

A bolt of lightening flashed through the sky, lighting the darkened clearing, just a deafening crack resounded around the woods. My head snapped up towards the sound automatically and I saw a large dark object hurtling towards me.

A high-pitched scream split the recent silence of the playing field and I cringed, shutting my eyes and crouching as I prepared for the inevitable landing of that branch. I knew it wouldn't do me much good but it was reflexive.

My breathing increased dramatically and my heart was pounding in my chest. I was going to die. No more Edward. No more Charlie and Beth. Just me, all alone. I could feel tears springing in my eyes at the thought of never seeing my family again. They were immortal after all and I don't think Edward would return to Italy now that we had Beth and Charlie.

I felt two arms wrap around me and a split second later I felt myself being laid on the ground on my back. I felt a small hand on the side of my face and realised that my whole body was shaking. Not from the cold but from the shock of what could have just happened, or had already happened.

"Mommy?" I heard a small voice whisper and my eyes shot open as I found myself gazing into a pair of worry-filled golden eyes. Charlie.

"Bella!" I looked up at the sound of Edward's frantic voice and the next thing I knew I was cradled in his arms. "Thank goodness, you're alright. I thought…I thought I would loose you." His voice was barely audible and a fresh batch of tears spilled from my eyes as I saw the worry and love that was held in his expression. He littered my face with small, feather light kisses before checking me over for any possible damage.

"What happened?" My brows knit together in confusion. I knew that I had almost been killed by a large tree branch crushing me to death, just my luck, but I wanted to know how I had managed to survive.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gone so far away from you." Edward mumbled into my hair as he rested his head on my shoulder and held me closely to him. I breathed in his comforting scent and wrapped my arms tightly around him.

"Stop apologising. It wasn't your fault." I said determinedly and lifted his head so I could see his beautiful face. "What happened? How am I still…alive?" I hesitated as I took in his pained expression.

"Charlie carried you out the way but Beth…" He trailed off and I instantly became panicked.

"What? What about her?" I demanded frantically. He gave me a small smile which calmed me slightly and answered me by looking pointedly across the clearing to where I had last seen Beth standing.

She stood frozen with one arm outstretched and a look of pure concentration on her face, a frown gracing her expression. I followed her gaze and gasped at what I saw. She was staring at the tree where I had been standing but instead of seeing the fallen branch under the tree, on the ground, it seemed to be floating about 6 feet above it.

It was then that I took in the actual size of the branch and knew that if it wasn't for Beth and Charlie I would definitely not have survived. It was about ten feet long and three feet wide which would have killed me instantly, no amount of vampire venom would work if I had been under that branch.

I glanced back and forth between the floating branch and Beth in shock. Rosalie snapped out of her daze, staring in amazement at the large branch that was suspended in mid-air, and walked slowly over to Beth. She placed her hand hesitantly on Beth's shoulder which startled her. Beth snapped her head up to Rose and I jumped at the loud bang that now echoed around the clearing from the log being dropped because Beth was no longer concentrating on it.

Beth looked towards me, holding my gaze for a few moments before a breath taking smile broke across her face and she ran towards me, wrapping her small arms around me in a hug. I could feel her sobbing into my shoulder and realised that I still had tears falling from my eyes. I saw Charlie was staring at me with wide eyes and his bottom lips trembling slightly so I gave him a small reassuring smile and opened my arms for him as well.

He jumped into my arms, almost winding me, and buried himself in between me and Edward. I lifted my head to look up at Edward and he gave me a dazzling smile but I could still see the sadness and fear in his eyes relating to what had just happened. He kept his arms tightly around me, as if I would disappear at any second.

Carlisle walked over to us and crouched down beside me. "Are you alright, Bella?"

I nodded and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm just a bit shocked."

"Well, just try and stay calm and concentrate on your breathing." He said, giving me a warm smile and I let out a small laugh. He dropped his gaze to my daughter and placed his hand on her back soothingly. "Beth, do you think you could do what you did with the tree branch again?" He asked her softly.

She lifted her head to look at him with a few tears in her eye which she wiped away with the back of her hand and nodded. She slowly stood, slightly unsteady and took a few steps away from me as Carlisle stood up as well.

She took in a deep breath and held out her hand towards the branch again, looking at it determinedly. She slowly raised her hand slightly higher and the branch lifted off the ground with her movement before she lowered her hand and dropped it back to the ground. She looked towards me with a small smile on her face and I smiled back. I wasn't entirely sure what her power could be and I glanced at Carlisle to see if he had a theory. He opened his mouth to speak and I heard a squeal from beside me, making me leap in surprise.

I tilted my head up and saw Alice bouncing on the balls of her feet with a bright smile on her face. She was nodding her head vigorously at Carlisle, as if to confirm his theory then turned to me excitedly. "She's telekinetic!" She squealed happily. "It's amazing; she can move things with her mind!" She said clapping her hand together. I could only assume that Beth would be doing something in the future to confirm these suspicions but I wasn't going to question Alice right now about it. Maybe later.

"Psychic, telekinetic and hypnotic." She said with a small laugh then glanced at Jasper and Edward, waving her hand dismissively at them. "Sorry, guys, but a mind-reader and an empath are not as cool." She shrugged. I guess it had something to do with the rhyming of her, Beth and Charlie's powers and rolled my eyes at her. As shaken as I was from my near death experience I was still suspicious as to what Alice must have seen in the near future. But Alice will be Alice so I doubt there's even the slightest chance that she will be willing to share her knowledge with the rest of us. I'll just have to wait and see which is something I am definitely not looking forward to.

**A/N: I'm sorry that its pretty short but its getting pretty late…well, nearly 9.30pm but I still have some homework I forgot about and I wanted to get it out to you tonight because I won****'t be able to update tomorrow as I have a psychology class after school. Anyway, I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with her power and I should be updating 'green eyed stranger' on Friday…hopefully. Review, please?**


	12. Piano?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight**

**Authors note: Thanks for all of the reviews! I'm sorry I didn't post this earlier like I said but I had a few small ideas and I had to try and arranged them so they worked in the same chapter and I had a lot of homework…anyway, here's the next chapter!**

Piano?

**Edward's POV**

It had been almost two weeks since Beth had discovered her power and I had almost lost Bella. Besides Bella, my children were the best thing that had ever happened to me and I would not be able to repay them enough for saving my Bella.

I sat at my piano playing various melodies and more often than not I found myself playing Bella's lullaby. Alice had managed to; finally, persuade Bella to accompany her on one of her frequent shopping sprees by claiming that Beth and Charlie would need new clothes which I agree with at the rate they were growing. Carlisle was at the hospital, Esme was in the back garden and the rest of the family, excluding Beth and Charlie, had gone hunting for a couple of days. My children were in the sitting room arguing. Again. They had been doing so for the past half an hour but I think the argument was getting well out of hand for the reason they were fighting; which TV programme to watch.

As their arguments continued to grow louder I let out a sigh and pushed myself up off the piano stool, heading towards the sitting room. They were standing on opposite ends of the room from each other with the remote on the floor closest to Charlie but as soon as he bent down to pick it up it moved a few inches towards Beth and out of his reach. He took a few steps forwards and reached out to get it but, again, it moved just out of his reach. This happened repeatedly until Beth and Charlie were only standing a few feet away from each other, Beth smiling triumphantly and Charlie scowling slightly at his sister in annoyance.

I decided to step in before their argument escalated and walked over so I was standing beside them. "Beth, stop teasing your brother." I said as I look at her and redirected my gaze to my son. "Charlie, stop pulling faces. The wind will change and it'll get stuck like that." I said seriously as I looked down at his small scowling face which became filled with fear as he looked up at me. "I'm joking." I reassured him and the scowled immediately fell upon his face again as he stuck his tongue out at me.

"Daddy, Charlie keeps complaining about watching the discovery channel. But I want to watch it because they have a special on Dolphins!" Beth looked up at me pleadingly with a pout on her face, identical to Bella's when she wants something.

"I don't want to watch _dolphins._" He said in disgust. "Beth won't let me watch spongebob and she keeps stealing the remote." He whined and continued to glare at Beth.

"That's stupid! Dolphins are much more ed-u-ca-tion-al." She said slowly as she tried to pronounce the word.

Charlie narrowed his eyes at her and a smile fell across his face. "Beth," I recognised the layered tone of his voice instantly and let out a frustrated sigh. We had told Charlie repeatedly that he wasn't allowed to use his power unless absolutely necessary. Apparently he deemed this situation 'necessary'.

"Charlie, don't even think about using your power." I scolded him although he never really paid any attention to anyone telling him off unless it was Bella because she was the only one unaffected by his power. "Come on, if you come with me now then you can watch whatever you want later, ok?" The best thing to do was bargain with him or I would be at the wrong end of his power and he would probably make me forget everything that had happened today.

"But, Daddy," He whined and reached out for the remote again. It jumped out of his reach and rose off the floor, floating just a few inches below the ceiling. Charlie stared up at it longingly then looked back at Beth who was standing with and eyebrow raised and an innocent smile on her face as if she had nothing to do with the television remote's new location.

"Come on, Charlie." I said as I lifted my son into my arms and walked back to my piano. I thought that if I could get Charlie to do something more constructive than watching TV he might not be as short tempered and playing the piano was always soothing for me so why not him?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

An hour later Charlie and I were both still sitting at my piano. Charlie had his arms crossed across his chest and his head tilted away in defiance. Apparently; he didn't like the piano as much as I do.

"Charlie, just one more and then you can go and play, alright?" I bargained with him and he turned his head towards me slightly, huffing in annoyance. My fingers danced across a few keys slowly and I turned my head towards him. The idea was for me to play a few notes and him to copy, in effect, learning the tune but so far he had been more than difficult.

He slammed his hand down on the keys, thankfully not hard enough to break it, causing the notes to clang through the air. "There, can I go now?" He asked impatiently but was already inching away from the piano and out the door. I heard his footsteps travel upstairs and, a few seconds later, the sound of his drumming. The drum kit had arrived a few days after Alice had ordered it with a bit of Charlie's 'persuading' and he had been playing it almost constantly since then so he was becoming quite good at it and it no longer sounded just like noise but an actual beat.

I sighed and placed my hands back on the keys of my piano as I began playing. I heard small footsteps enter the room and looked up to see Beth standing at the door, watching me as I played. When I smiled at her she took that as permission to join me on the piano bench and pulled herself up beside me. The tune I was playing changed into Bella's lullaby and I kept my eyes on Beth as I watched her reaction. A small frown creased her face and she looked up at me before turning back to the piano.

"Boring." She declared in a sing-song voice and pushed my hands off the keys, replacing them with her tiny ones. I watched in amazement as her hands danced across the keys, playing an up-beat tune with a more increased tempo than that of what I usually played. When she finished she put her hands in her lap and looked up at me, her expression triumphant but soon turned to worry by my lack of response.

A smile spread across my face as I listened to her thoughts. "You've been sneaking in and playing while I'm not here?" I asked as she nodded solemnly. "Beth, all you had to do was ask. You can play on it any time you want." I assured her and her expression burst into happiness.

"Thank you, Daddy." She said excitedly and stood up, wrapping her arms around my neck. I chuckled and returned her hug before she pulled back and jumped lithely off the chair, skipping towards the door.

"Beth, don't annoy your brother." I called after her. She turned around and gave me her most angelic smile.

"I wouldn't dream of it." She said innocently and danced out the room, heading straight upstairs to Charlie's room. I let out a small sigh and stood up from my piano, making my way upstairs as I heard their voices arguing once more.

**A/N: Again, ****I'm sorry about the slow update but I have the cold and I am feeling unwell. I'll be updating 'green eyed stranger' in the next few days. Review!**


	13. You did what?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight.**

**Authors note: ok, so this chapter and the next couple are just a few stray ideas I had that I wanted to write so here they are…**

You did what?

It has been a few weeks since Alice managed to convince me to go shopping with her and I swear that was the very last time. She had told me that Charlie and Beth needed new clothing and I agreed because they are growing at an unusually fast rate but little did I know that was only part of the reason she wanted me to go shopping with her. Of course, her other motive for that form of torture was that she wanted to play Bella Barbie and forced me to try on dozens of clothes. Never again.

Edward, Jasper and Alice had taken Beth out on her first hunt because Alice suggested, or more accurately revealed, that it would be better if they took them out hunting individually. So right now, Carlisle was in his office, Esme was busy planning the arrangements for when we move to Alaska in a couple of weeks time and I really don't want to know what Emmett and Rosalie were doing upstairs.

I had made myself lunch and was almost finished eating it while Charlie was supposed to be in his room after having watched TV for six hours straight. It took an awful lot to convince him to turn it off and do something more constructive but, eventually, he did what he was told.

I finished my lunch and took the plates to the sink, humming softly to myself while I washed them. I lifted my head to look out the window just above the sink that looked out at the back garden and the forest after that. The house was quiet, too quiet. I frowned and turned my head to glance around the kitchen to see if anyone was there but it was completely empty apart from me. It was a little unnerving that I couldn't hear anything at all.

"Mommy!" A high pitched scream broke me out of my thoughts and I looked back out the window to see Charlie sitting on the ground outside. I dried my hands quickly on the dish cloth and walked as quickly as I could without tripping out the back door, towards Charlie.

He sat on the ground with his legs stretched out in front of him in a slight crater in the ground, clutching his hand to his chest as tears streamed down his face. I crouched down beside him, trying to check if he had any injuries but the only thing that seemed to hurt was the hand he was clutching to his chest.

"Charlie, what happened? Are you hurt? Let me see your hand." I said softly and some what frantically as I stared at his tear-stained face.

"I fell." He sniffled and more tears began to spill from his eyes.

"You fell?" My face scrunched in confusion. "From where?" I asked and he pointed his hand up to an open window on the second floor of the Cullen mansion. "You fell out a window?" I asked incredulously and he nodded in reply. "How?"

"Remember when you said we were mythy—miff—myth-io-log-i-cal creatures?" He pronounced slowly as he tried to say it right. His brain was advanced enough to understand large words like that but because he was still a small child he was unable to pronounce certain words and Beth was the same. I nodded my head and motioned for him to continue. "Is Spiderman one?" The random question took me by surprise, to say the least.

"No, he isn't. Charlie, you do know Spiderman isn't real?"

He rolled his eyes at me and nodded. "Yeah, I know that _now_." He muttered under his breath. "I wanted to climb onto the roof but it didn't work." He pouted and clutched his arm tighter to his chest. I always knew television was influential but not this bad. He had tried to pretend to be like Spiderman and fallen out of a window? I know Edward and the rest of the family for that matter are probably able to climb walls but I had doubted Charlie would have even attempted anything like that. Obviously, I shouldn't under estimate him.

I heard the front door open and slam shut then Edward's worried voice echoed through the house. "Bella? Bella, is he alright?" I barely had time to register what he had said before he was crouched down beside Charlie on the other side from me. "Charlie, let me see your finger. I know there's something wrong with it by the way you're complaining about how badly it hurts in your mind so there's no point in trying to hide it." He said worriedly but his voice was laced with authority, as if daring Charlie to object. After all; he got extremely worried about me when I was hurt and trying to act as if it wasn't that bad so I guess he would be the same way with Charlie.

Charlie looked like he was about to protest, regardless of Edward's warning when Beth came outside in a blur and stopped behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder comfortingly.

"Show Daddy your finger, Charlie, and he'll fix it." She whispered into his ear, barely loud enough for me to hear.

Charlie pouted, nodding his head slowly and reluctantly held out his hand that he had been holding to his chest. My eyes widened in shock as I saw that his index finger was now bent the wrong way from which it should.

"Carlisle." Edward whispered, as he stared at Charlie's finger wide-eyed. I frowned in confusion but in a moment Carlisle was beside Edward, studying Charlie's finger.

Carlisle looked at Edward questioningly, quirking his eyebrow, obviously asking Edward what had happened with his thoughts. Edward, having seen it in Charlie's mind when he remembered, looked up at the window then nodded at Carlisle's thoughts.

I, on the other hand, was beginning to panic. My breathing was coming short and fast and I knew if I didn't calm down it was likely I would end up fainting. I felt a wave of calm crash over me and looked up to see Jasper leaning against the back door with Alice be his side. I gave him a thankful smile and returned my gaze to Charlie and Carlisle, being unable to panic because Jasper kept up a steady stream of calm in my direction.

"Now, Charlie, this is going to hurt a bit but I need to do this to fix your finger, alright?" Carlisle asked softly and Charlie nodded mutely in reply, a small pout on his lips.

Carlisle gently straightened Charlie's finger to how it should be with a slight crack, causing a shiver to run down my spin, and Charlie whimpered slightly. "Better?" Carlisle asked with a smile and Charlie nodded his head up and down so vigorously it looked like it would fall off his shoulders.

"Thank you, Car-i-oh." Charlie called as he jumped to his feet and ran into the house giving Beth a piggy-back-ride as she still had her arms wrapped around him comfortingly. They may fight what seems non-stop but they really do care for each other.

I let out a sigh of relief and looked at Edward who smiled at me with his crooked grin and wrapped his arms around me. "It's alright Bella, he's fine." He muttered into my hair as I inhaled his scent, immediately causing me to relax.

I pulled my head back slightly so I could look up at him and smiled. "So, how was hunting with Beth?" I asked curiously, probably more curious than I should have been considering the topic of our conversation. "She didn't get hurt did she?" I asked with worry. Especially after Charlie was damaged like that, I was extremely concerned. Maybe I should go check her over for damage…

"She's fine as well, Bella. You worry too much." He said, his tone laced with amusement. I heard a snort of disapproval and looked around to see Alice giggling softly and Jasper grinning, trying not to laugh.

"Your one to talk, Edward." Alice laughed and turned to me. "He was freaking out a bit when I suggested that Beth should try and hunt a mountain lion. You should have seen him, Bella; i thought he was going to start trying to pull out his hair because he was so worried about it. Especially when Beth got bored of the conversation and went off to hunt on her own." She grinned at me and stuck her tongue out at Edward as he narrowed his eyes at her, glaring slightly.

"When we found her she had already managed to take down two mountain lions without any trouble and she didn't make any mess at all." Jasper pushed himself away from the door and took a few steps towards us but kept a safe distance between me and him. I honestly trusted him and didn't think he would attack me at all but he was still wary. "Apparently her technique was to knock them out with something using her power, usually a tree branch, and then feeding."

"See, Edward, I told you once and I'll tell you again; never bet against me." Alice said triumphantly with a small smirk. "And I'll take this opportunity to say 'I told you so!'" She laughed and stuck her tongue out at Edward again who just rolled his eyes at her. I couldn't help but laugh at their playful argument, just like brother and sister.

**A/N: sorry this chapter's quite short and that it took me a while but I really wasn't determined enough to write it so it might not be that good. I'm thinking about writing a story about Jane of the Volturi, a romance, but ****I'm not entirely sure. There's a poll on my profile so can you vote and tell me what you think?**

**I'll try and update one of my other stories today…please review so I know what you think about it. It will motivate me to write more…**


	14. What a nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight**

**Authors note: Sorry the last chapter was rubbish but I wanted to get an update out there. **

**I haven't updated in a while but I was away for the week in Jordan and the week before I was getting ready to leave. So that's my reasons…I did say in the first chapter of my new story and on my profile that I was going away but I'm sorry if you didn't get the message.**

What a nightmare

A week had passed and we were going to be moving to Alaska tomorrow. A house was already waiting for us and all we had to do was move in. My change would be in a few days time and we had all agreed that Rosalie and Emmett take Beth and Charlie away during that time. The last thing I wanted for my children to hear or see me going through that kind of pain.

I rolled over onto my side as I lay in bed and opened my eyes slightly to see that it was still dark outside. I glanced around the darkened bedroom, wondering what could have awoken me, searching for Edward who was nowhere to be seen. He was probably getting ready for the move tomorrow, I thought as I turned my head to the side and came face to face with a pair of glowing golden eyes, something I had certainly not been expecting.

"Ah!" I squealed and jumped in surprise. I squinted my eyes as they adjusted to the dim light and could barely make out the shape of a small head peaking over the side of the bed.

"Mommy, I had a bad dream." A small whisper sounded in the darkness and I recognised it immediately as Charlie. His bottom lip was jutting out in a trembling pout and the small amount of light there was in the room glinted off his tear filled eyes.

"Come on, darling." I held out my arms towards him and pulled him up onto the bed beside me, wrapping the covers around him securely. He buried his head into the crook of my neck and the air was filled with his muffled sobs. "It's ok, I'm here." I whispered as I stroked his soft brown hair. "Do you want to tell me what it was about?"

He sniffled and tilted his face to look up at me. "I was in the woods and there was a little girl lying on the ground. I think she was older than me, maybe six or something. She wasn't moving and I got scared so I tried to wake her up but she didn't." He broke off and started crying again, hiding his face in my hair as his small body shook with sobs.

I continued to pat his head and back soothingly in an attempt to calm him. What else could I do but comfort him? My poor baby. I placed a soft kiss on the top of his head as his sobs began to quieten. "It's alright, Charlie, its ok." I murmured against his soft locks.

"Mommy, do you think that will happen?" He whispered into the darkness after a few minutes of silence. What could I say to that? I couldn't promise anything concerning the future. Even Alice couldn't because her visions depended on decisions.

"I don't know, Charlie. I hope not. Just try not to worry about it, ok?" I asked softly and felt him nodding his head slightly. I hated the fact that, try as I might, I would never be able to protect my children from all the evil, death and pain in the world and with them being part vampire I was worried that death would be something unavoidable. If it wasn't human deaths they had to experience it would be the deaths of the animals they would have to hunt when they got older.

I felt Charlie's small body relax next to mine and his breathing evened out slightly causing me to think he had fallen asleep until he spoke again, breaking through my thoughts. "Mommy, you smell nice." He mumbled his voice thick with sleep.

I stiffened slightly then relaxed immediately and let out a small laugh. "Thank you."

"I don't want to eat the cookie." He whispered and I realised that he must be sleep talking. "I'm Charlie, what's your name?" He breathed out and rolled onto his back. I was curious as to what he was dreaming about. It certainly sounded a lot better than the nightmare he had had before. "Yes, I think the tree tastes yummy too."

A smile spread across my face as I drifted off to sleep. At least I wasn't the only one who talked in their sleep.

**A/N: I'm really sorry this is so short and pretty rubbish but I don't really feel into this story right now so if I force myself to write it will be completely pants. **

**Review and tell me what you think. I'm hoping for five reviews before I update, the sooner you review, the sooner I update**.


	15. Disturbing noises

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight**

**Authors note: thanks for all the reviews guys! I promised I would get this out as soon as I could so here you go! It's also longer like the last chapter and I hope you enjoy it!**

Disturbing noises

My eyes fluttered open to the bright sunlight shining through the curtains. I rubbed my eyes and blinked a couple of times as I tried to focus on my surroundings. I looked down at the space in front of me where Charlie had been sleeping to find it empty, he must be up already. I let out a small sigh and rolled onto my back, or at least, tried to before I came into contact with something solid and ice-cold.

"Good morning, love." A velvet voice whispered in my ear and a smile crept onto my face automatically. Edward.

"Morning." I mumbled sleepily and rolled over to face my very own Adonis. "Is Charlie alright?" I asked as I stared into his perfect golden eyes.

"He's fine. He got up hours ago. He wasn't very happy when he found out his drum kit was half way to Alaska though." He gave me his crooked grin and I let out a small laugh. Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle and Esme had gone ahead to take some of our belongings up to the house before the rest of us arrived. I guess they must have gone sometime in the middle of the night when I was asleep.

"What time is it?" I wasn't sure how long I had slept and Edward did say Charlie got up hours ago but, then again, he only needs a few hours of sleep although he usually sleeps a lot longer than Beth but I suppose that's just because he's a bit lazy.

"Just after eight so we've got plenty of time." He smirked at me and pressed his soft lips against mine. Me being me instantly responded, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my fingers in his bronze hair. His arms went to my waist holding me to him. If I could wake up like this every morning, it would be heaven. But, I wouldn't be sleeping for much longer, not after my change.

"Come on, Mommy, time to get up." The door flew open and Beth came marching into the room. I instantly pulled away from Edward and looked to her. "Mommy, are you going to get out of bed or am I going to have to make you?" Beth threatened, putting her hands on her hips and looking scarily like Alice.

I bit my lip, trying to keep the smile off my face. "I think you're going to have to make me." I teased. I was honestly just about to get out of bed, well, before my kissing session with Edward, but I was curious to see what she was going to do. Damn curiosity.

Her face lit up immediately and I felt Edward tense beside me. This cannot be good. "Ok." She said happily and a look of concentration fell upon her face as she stared at me and Edward. I felt his arms loosen around me and then disappear completely. What I wasn't expecting was to suddenly be floating a foot of the bed. Apparently, her power worked on people and not only inanimate objects. Brilliant.

"Beth, put me down." I stared at her wide eyed as she continued smiling at me and shook her head.

"Nope, you said I had to make you so I am." She shrugged. I tried to struggle against her but found I was unable to move my limbs at all, just my head. If I didn't trust my daughter I would have been terrified at my inability to move. "Come on, mommy, we need to get you dressed." She said as she began walking towards the large closet in Edward's room with me floating along beside her.

"Edward?" I craned my neck to see him at the opposite side of the room, standing motionless with a frown on his face, as if he were fighting some kind of invisible force. So, Beth had gotten to him too, not good.

"Oh, yeah." Beth spun around to face Edward. "Daddy, you need to go." She smiled innocently at him and the bedroom door swung open. "Bye, bye." She waved at him.

"Beth, don't you—" Before he could finish his sentence Beth had picked him up with her power and, literally, threw him out the door before slamming it shut behind him. And I thought Charlie was going to be the trouble maker.

She walked into the closet and began looking through the mounds of clothes, thanks to Alice, searching for something for me to wear. "Erm, Beth?" I asked and her head snapped up to me immediately. It was wonderful that she had so much control of her power, really, but I really don't like floating four foot high in the air when she isn't paying any attention. As you can imagine, it is a little nerve wracking.

"Oops. Sorry Mommy." She said as she lowered my feet back to the ground, thank goodness. "Here you go, you can wear this…" She said as she handed me a pain of dark blue jeans, keeping her gaze fixed on the clothes in front of her. "…and this…" She tossed a light blue t-shirt at me which I only barely managed to catch without falling over. "…hmm…oh, and these shoes." She said as she picked up a pair of light blue 'dolly shoes'. Obviously, she has been spending way too much time with Alice but at least Beth doesn't try to force me into anything too revealing or any high heels.

She walked over to the chest of drawers and stood on her tip-toes, trying to reach the top drawer which I knew for a fact was my underwear drawer. I took a step towards her to help her reach it but she dropped her arms and the drawer flew open to allow my underwear to float towards me. I knew, no matter how long I lived I wouldn't get used to that particular power.

"You have a shower and get dressed, I'll be downstairs, Daddy will be making breakfast and Charlie will be ready as well." She informed me as she left the room and I swear I heard her mutter, "I'll make sure of it.", under her breath as she left but I couldn't be sure. Yeah, she had been spending way too much time with Alice.

After I got showered, dressed and brushed my hair and teeth I made my way down stairs and into the kitchen. Edward was making my breakfast at the cooker and Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table with a scowl on his face, a bottle in one hand as he drank from it and a set of drum sticks in the other. I sat down at the table and Beth came skipping into the room and climbed onto the chair in-between me and Charlie.

Charlie narrowed his eyes at her and hissed, baring his tiny white teeth. He must have been attacked in a similar way to me, being force into the clothes Beth had picked out. "Charlie, don't hiss at your sister." Edward said as he placed my breakfast of French toast and a fried egg in front of me.

Charlie stuck his tongue out at Edward and looked at my plate in disgust before turning his head away from us. Apparently, he wasn't very happy at being separated from his drum kit. Beth reached across the table towards the fruit bowl, taking an apple from it and lifting it to her mouth. "Beth…" I warned, unsure of how she would react to it after the cookie incident.

"It's alright, Bella, she just has an obsession wit fruit at the moment. She's eaten at least ten this morning." Edward said as he sat down beside me and Beth nodded eagerly in agreement as she bit into the apple.

"They're yummy." She said with her mouth full of apple.

"It seems, being part human, she can stomach human food. It just depends if she likes it or not. Charlie just refuses to eat any of it though." Edward shrugged as I started eating my breakfast. Delicious.

After finishing my breakfast and washing up the four of us sat at the table. Charlie had finished his bottle and was busy taking his annoyance out on the table top with his drum stick while Beth was finishing off her fourth apple since I had sat down. I was vaguely aware that I hadn't seen Jasper and Alice all morning since they were supposed to be finishing off the packing with us but shrugged it off.

Charlie suddenly froze, looked up at the ceiling then at me. "What's that noise?" He asked his face scrunched in confusion.

"What noise?" I was equally confused but, after all, he had vampire hearing so he would be able to hear something when I couldn't. Beth seemed unaffected as she sat munching on her fifth apple and I moved my gaze to Edward. He sat motionless, his eyes closed while he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and fore finger, like he usually does to block something out, with a look of disgust on his face. That could only mean one thing. I now knew the reason I hadn't seen Jasper and Alice all morning. Brilliant.

"Charlie," Beth said exasperated as she turned in her chair to face him, "Weren't you listening to Carlisle?" She asked in annoyance and Edward let out a slight groan. This could not be good. Carlisle had been giving Beth and Charlie biology lessons much to Beth's insistence on the matter. She was fascinated by the subject; Charlie on the other hand hated it.

"No." Charlie said shaking his head.

Beth huffed indignantly and continued. "Charlie, they're having _sex_." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I felt my cheeks heat up and dropped my gaze to the table.

"What?" By his tone of voice, it was obvious he was still completely confused.

"Well, it's how humans make babies, or a human lady and a vampire man. Isn't that right, Mommy?" Did she have to bring me into this? I'm sure I was the colour of a beetroot at that moment.

"Daddy, you and Mommy had sex to make me and Charlie, right?" phew, the spot light was off of me. If I hadn't been so embarrassed I would have laughed at the shock on Edward's face when I peeked up at him.

"I still don't get it." Charlie complained before Edward could answer Beth's question. I knew those lessons were a bad idea.

"Well, it's when a man puts his—"

"Beth, Charlie, go out to the car now and wait there. Bella, you go too." Edward interrupted before that conversation got any worse. "I just need to go destroy my siblings for mentally scarring my children." He muttered under his breath before he stood up and left the room.

Beth just shrugged nonchalantly and left the room with Charlie following behind her with a frown on his face, still not quite grasping the concept. I too got up and left the house but just before I shut the front door behind me I was sure I heard Alice's laughter from upstairs. Once again, I was glad not to have vampire hearing at this moment in time.

**A/N: Ta-da! See, I told you it would be longer!**

**I also have a quote in their and I'll give a shout out to anybody who can guess what it is and what film it's from!...I'll give you a hint; Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver are characters in it.**

**I have a poll up on my profile so please, please vote on it!**

**Also, Bella's change is probably going to be in the next chapter…which means there's only going to be another couple of chapter left of this story…sniffles…but that's what the poll is for! Go check it out.**

**Review please!**


	16. Sooner or later

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with Twilight**

**Authors note: I'm just firing these out, aren't I? I'm struggling to sit down and write chapters for my other stories but these ones are easier for me…I'm not sure why…**

**The reason for the title of this chapter is because I'm listening to that song by the band 'Breaking Benjamin'…it's a really good song and I couldn't think of anything else to name it…**

**I want to give a shout out to **_faerie kitten_ **who was the only one to guess that the quote from the last chapter was from 'Bridget Jones' Diary'**.

**Quote:**** '- …or am I going to have to make you?**

**- I think you're going to have to make me.' And then it's the fight scene…brilliant! **

Sooner or later

I sat in the front seat of Edward's Volvo as I waited for him to come out of the house. Beth and Charlie were both strapped into their car seats, much to Charlie's dismay. After a temper tantrum and much insistence to the fact that he was 'a big boy' and too old to have a car seat, I won the argument. Thank goodness I'm immune to his power.

Edward opened the car door and slid in behind the wheel, looking rather pleased with himself. I guess Alice and Jasper wouldn't be deliberately 'mentally scarring' anybody anytime in the immediate future. He gave me his crooked grin and placed a soft kiss on my cheek before pulling away from the house and speeding down the drive to the main road.

"Bye, bye house." Beth said, waving out her window at it as Charlie glared out the opposite one, still miffed that he had been forced to part with his precious drum kit and been forced into his car seat.

I let out a small sigh as the house disappeared into the distance. I would certainly miss the house that I had considered a second home to me for the past few years. Edward took my hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze as he turned onto the highway.

The car was quiet except the sounds of Beth's munching on yet another apple until she started giggling. "Mommy, I can juggle!" She said happily and I turned in my seat to see her sitting with both hands out in front of her, palms up, with at least four apples floating round in a circle above them. "Look, no hands!" She laughed and put her hands on either side of her as the apples continued to float in a circle.

I laughed with her, enjoying the look of happiness that lit up her face. I glanced over at Charlie who was still staring out of the window, a small frown on his face.

"Are we there yet?" He asked and I knew this could not be good. I remember when I was little I would repeat that question until I drove my parents to the point of insanity. I hadn't been annoying them deliberately, I had just been incredibly bored but the look in Charlie's eye told me he was deliberately trying to annoy us.

"Nope." I said and turned to face the right way once more. A part of me hoped he would just give up then but no, he had Edward's persistence. I was beginning to doubt that that particular trait was a good thing.

"Are we there yet?"

"No." Edward answered instantly.

"Are we there _yet_?"

"No."

"What about now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

Charlie was silent then and I was relaxed slightly. Maybe he got bored. "Are we there yet?" Or maybe not.

"Charlie, no matter how many times you ask that the answer will still be the same. I'll let you know when we're there, ok?" Edward said calmly and glanced into the rear view mirror. I looked behind me to see Charlie glaring into the back of the chair in front of him, Edward's seat, then huffed and looked towards Beth, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Beth, can I have an apple?" He asked, smiling sweetly. That look was way too innocent and had me instantly suspicious. Beth, on the other hand, just smiled at him and nodded happily, handing him an apple.

He studied it for a moment and before I even realised what he had done. It was flying threw the air beside Edward's head. Edward's hand snapped up and caught the apple without him even looking at it in a movement I barely saw because of the speed of it.

Edward turned around in his seat, completely taking his eyes off the road which unnerved me, to say the least. "Charlie, what was the need for that? Have you any idea what could have happened because you lost your temper when you didn't get your way? That would have smashed the windshield and I could have crashed the car. You may be part vampire and unlikely to get hurt but what about Bella? Did you even think about what could happen to your mother when you threw that?" He asked calmly but there was an undertone of anger in his voice. Honestly, I was more worried about what would have happened to Charlie and Beth. They're not completely indestructible.

Charlie's bottom lip jutted out and his eyes widened slightly with the realisation of what his actions could have caused. I had a feeling that he was talking to Edward through his thoughts and my suspicions were confirmed when Edward spoke.

"It's alright, Charlie. Don't worry about it. Just don't let it happen again." He said as he turned back to face the road and glanced in the rear view mirror. "Or I'll have to take your drum kit off you. Permanently." He said with a slight smile and Charlie scowled at him, turning his head to glare out the window.

The rest of the journey passed uneventfully; Beth continuing to 'juggle' the apples, Charlie tapping his drum-sticks absent-mindedly against the car window and I slept for most of the journey.

"Bella, love, wake up. We're here." A velvet voice broke through my sleepy haze and my eyes fluttered open. I took Edward's outstretched hand and climbed out of the car, taking in my new surroundings.

Our new house was similar to the one in Forks; a grand mansion-type house, although this one was four storeys high and beige in colour. There was a large lawn stretching out in front and behind the house, surrounded by woodland.

"Wow." I whispered as my mind tried to process the view in front of me.

"Four floors, six bedrooms; a room each for Beth and Charlie, a playroom for them, a music room with sound proof walls for Charlie and his drums, a library, and the usual unnecessary kitchen and dining rooms." Edward said softly as he stood beside me. Seriously? Not only do they have their own bedrooms but a playroom, music room and library as well? The sheer scale of it was astounding.

"Wow." I repeated, sounding like a broken record but I was speechless. Edward chuckled and wrapped his arm around my waist, kissing the top of my head.

"Come on, love. We need to say bye to Charlie and Beth, Rose and Emmett are going to leave soon." He said as he led me over to Emmett's jeep. Excitement and nervousness began to grow within me. This was it. In a matter of hours I would begin my change. I didn't want to separate from my children but I knew this was the best way.

"No, no. No!" The shouts drifted out of the house seconds before a crash echoed throughout it.

"Charlie, put that down. We need to go now." I heard Emmett's voice just before he emerge through the front door with Charlie in his arms who, at that moment, latched one hand onto the door frame as he struggled to escape Emmett's hold. "A little help would be nice, Edward." Emmett said exasperated and I felt Edward chuckle beside me.

"What is it?" I asked as I frowned in confusion.

Charlie let go of the door frame unexpectedly and because Emmett was pulling against him so hard the lack of resistance caused to fall backwards with Charlie on top of him. I couldn't help the laughter that escaped me as Charlie leapt off Emmett and started towards the house again.

He froze only inches away from the front door and his face crumpled in frustration. "Beth." He whined as she stepped out of the house with a look of triumph on her face, obviously using her power on Charlie.

"Here you go, now stop complaining." She said as she handed Charlie a small drum and forced him to follow her towards the jeep. "This is no time for rest Emmett." She frowned as she walked past him.

"Beth, stop it." Charlie demanded and relaxed instantly as he was released from her power. He continued to follow her to the jeep carrying his drum under his arm. He stopped at the side of the jeep, in front of the open back door and frowned at it. "Beth, a little help, please?" He asked as he craned his neck to look up at the interior of the jeep which was at least a foot above his head.

Beth's tinkling giggle filled the air as she watched Charlie trying to climb into the jeep which I must admit was extremely funny. "With pleasure." She said as she lifted him into the air and then into the jeep using her power.

I walked up to the side of the jeep beside Charlie as he was strapping himself into his car seat which had been moved from the Volvo. He looked up at me and smiled, his small white teeth showing. "Bye Mommy." He said as he wrapped his arms around my neck. He may have a bit, well a lot, of a temper but he was still sweet and caring. "I love you." He whispered into my hair and I had to fight back my tears, reminding myself it was only for a short time, I would see them both soon.

"I love you too, Charlie. I'll see you in three days, ok?" I asked as I reluctantly pulled away from him and he nodded his head slightly.

I let out a soft sigh and went around the other side of the car to say bye to my daughter, passing Edward on my way who had just been speaking to Beth and was now going to Charlie. He gave me a warm smile and my hand a comforting squeeze as he passed by me.

I gave Beth a tight hug and pulled back, my hands resting on her shoulders as I looked at her. "Beth, you be a good girl and make sure your brother stays out of trouble." I whispered the last part conspiratorially earning a 'hey!' from Charlie and both Beth and I started laughing at that.

"I will Mommy. And you need to make sure you don't fall, trip or do anything else that might get you hurt and listen to Alice when she talking about clothes, ok?" She asked seriously and I bit back a laugh as I nodded to her request.

"I'll see you in a few days, Beth." I said softly pulling her into another hug. I stepped away from her and shut the jeep door before walking to stand beside Edward as we watched Emmett and Rosalie drive away with our two children.

A tear slipped out of my eyes and Edward wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close to him. It was only for a few days, I still had eternity to spend with them all, my family. **(A/N: I was going to end it here but decided I would be extra nice and give you all a very long chapter because of all the lovely reviews I got for the last one!)**

Later that evening I found myself in a room on the ground floor of the house, specifically reserved for my transformation and then would go on to be a storage room and where we would keep animal blood for Beth and Charlie until they learned to hunt.

The room contained a minimum amount of furniture; just a bed and a single chair beside it. The walls were painted a pale shade lavender colour with hard wood flooring. I was getting more and more nervous by the second. I was ready for this. Heck, I had been ready for this for years, ever since I met Edward. I knew, as Alice had said, it would happen sooner or later but either way; I would become one of them. It had just been a matter of time.

I lay on my back on the bed, my head turned to the side as I looked upon Edward, his golden eyes piercing my chocolate brown ones. I gave him a small smile as he brushed the stray locks of hair away from my forehead.

"Are you ready for this, love?" He asked me softly. "I'll be more than willing to wait if that's what you wanted." He assured me as he held my hand tightly in his.

"Edward, I want this. I want to be with you and Beth and Charlie forever." I told him in a whisper, I wanted this more than anything. "I love you."

"I love you too, Bella." He said giving me his crooked grin. "Always."

He kept his eyes locked on mine as he lowered his head closer and closer towards me. My heart beat was becoming erratic. No longer because of nerves but excitement. Admittedly, I was concerned about the pain I would have to endure but I would do that a thousand times over if it meant I could be with Edward, our children and the rest of our family for eternity.

He placed a feather light kiss on the side of my neck before I felt his cool, sharp teeth against the delicate skin there. My whole body tensed and I gasped at the sensation of his teeth slicing easily through my skin and into the artery in my neck. It took all my will power to fight against the natural instinct to struggle, to fight what was happening but I refused to do that. If I even showed the slightest sing of struggle Edward would think I regretted it and stop the change. That was something I would not allow to happen. I wanted this and was determined to make it happen.

I felt him pull away from my neck, unsure of how long it had been since he had bitten me and I screwed my eyes shut tight against the pain that spread through my vain from my neck, through my blood stream to the rest of my body burning a fiery path in its wake.

**A/N: Ok, so her change is in motion! I'll probably have just one more chapter to this story but it will be pretty long and because I am completely evil I won't be revealing her power to the sequel although it will be easy to guess at because it's similar to what her power is in Breaking Dawn.**

**But because I have decided to be evil I thought that I should at least be nice as well so I'm going to give any body who reviews a sneak preview of the next chapter! So, review!**


	17. The hunter or the hunted?

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight**

**Authors note: Wow! Thank you so much for the amazing response! I hope you enjoyed the little teaser…I wrote in literally five minutes when I received my first review so sorry if it seemed rushed or anything but I kept that original part in this chapter! I know it was pretty short but I didn't want to give away too much and I didn't have much time to write it last night. **

**Anyway, on to the chapter! I think this is the longest one so far because I would have had to split it into two other wise and they would have been short…**

The hunter or the hunted?

Three days, three days of excruciating pain, agony beyond any that I had ever or would ever experience. It seemed to go on forever but somehow felt as if only seconds had passed as well. Time had lost all meaning for me as I under went this torture, refusing to let it show just how much pain I was in. At some points I was vaguely aware of Edward's presence but most of the time my surroundings went unnoticed as I was blinded by agony.

Bit by bit I felt myself being returned to consciousness, my eyes still shut tightly and my nerves were tingling as I became more and more aware of what was going on around me. The noises in the rest of the house –footsteps, muffled voices – being heard by my newly enhanced hearing.

I felt fingertips ghosting my face with feather-light touches, briefly lingering on my closed eyelids before tracing down my cheek, my neck, my arm and the resting in my hand. Small fingers closed around mine, slightly warmer than I was now, and my body immediately tensed at all the emotions, thoughts, feelings as my senses were overwhelmed.

My first instinct was to fight, attack whatever it was beside me but something stopped me. The hand that held mine felt too small, too fragile to be a threat. There was something familiar about it, something that my mind couldn't quite grasp just yet; Fragments of memories just beyond my reach.

"Mommy." A small musical voice called from beside me, the memory of it teasing my mind. "Mommy, it's time to wake up." The voice whispered again, a spark of recognition lit in my mind and I grabbed at it, the memory that had been eluding me floated into place.

My eyes flew open and I bolted up, sitting with my back ram-rod straight. I fixed my gaze on the child beside who stared at me with wide eye for a few seconds, quickly turning into a wide smile.

"Charlie?" I asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?" I asked as my anger flared. How long had he been here? The whole point in sending my children away for a few days was so they wouldn't have to see me like that. Emmett and Rosalie. I had put my children in their care and they had brought them back early, let Charlie see me during my change. They were going to pay for that.

"M-Mommy?" Charlie asked hesitantly, obviously seeing the change of emotions within me and tightened his grip around my fingers. "Please don't be mad. I was worried. I wanted to see you. I know you and Daddy said I shouldn't use my power on anybody unless it was an emergency but I wanted to make sure you were alright." He said in a rush, his eyes wide and his bottom lip jutting out.

Meanwhile, I was already planning out Emmett and Rosalie's punishment. _Oh, yes Emmett, I'm a newborn now. You're not stronger than me any more and I am sure as hell going to use that to my advantage – wait, what? _"Charlie, did you just say you used your _power_? On Emmett and Rosalie?" I asked as his words finally made it through the haze of anger that had clouded my mind seconds before.

He nodded his head silently then the corner of his lips curled up at the side into a slightly cheekier version of Edward's crooked grin. "And Alice and Daddy…and Jasper…and Esme and Carlisle." He said slowly, thoughtfully. "…and Beth." He added as an after thought.

"What?" I gaped at him.

"Well, I asked Emmett and Rosalie to bring me and Beth home but of course Beth had to be miss goody-two-shoes and say that we were supposed to wait like we were told so I used my power on her. Then when we got here, Carlisle said we weren't supposed to be here so I got him too." He explained calmly. "Esme said we should wait upstairs until you woke up so I spoke to her then I told Alice to tell me her visions of you waking up…with me there and not to tell anyone. Jasper wanted to come up with me because he said he has 'experience' with dealing with newborns but he's upstairs now and Daddy wasn't going to let me in the room with you…or leave you alone so I made him." He shrugged and a slight frown fell across his face. "He was harder than the others but I managed to make him go away as well." He said happily then his face fell when he looked up at me. "You're not mad, are you, Mommy?" He asked hesitantly.

I just stared at him wide-eyed, my mouth hanging open. He could not be serious. How could he get away with that? He already did, was the answer that came to me. It put into perspective just how powerful his gift was; being able to hypnotise the entire family without so much as batting an eyelash.

I shook my head slowly then a thought hit me. "Charlie, where's Edward?" I asked. I felt a desperate need to see him again. Those three days, even if I was barely conscious and in pain, felt like an eternity without seeing him. I could hear Beth's voice upstairs and that brought comfort, knowing she was safe and well.

"He's upstairs with everybody else. I told him not to come in unless I said so." He explained and a small smile lit up his features. "You look very pretty mommy. You even smell the same…well, kind of. Not as yummy." He shrugged as he continued to smile at me.

I returned his smile at his compliment and laughed softly at his comment. "Thank you, Charlie, but I think you should let your father back in now." I said and he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Ok." He said dejectedly and turned his head towards the door. "Daddy, you can come in now!" He called, although it wasn't necessary. Edward was a vampire after all.

Edward burst through the door a split second later, his face frantic with worry and his hair even more dishevelled than usual, as if he had been constantly running his fingers through it. I assumed he must have been trying to fight Charlie's power constantly but to no avail. **(A/N: I got that word from 'Shrek'. See, children's films are educational)**

"Bella!" His voice was filled with relief as he saw both me and Charlie unharmed and was by my side instantly, although, this time my eyes followed his movement, seeing every flex of his muscles as he ran towards me. He wrapped his arms tightly around me in a hug which I was sure if I was still human would have crushed me. He pulled away from me and looked over at Charlie who was side stepping towards the door, trying to leave the room unnoticed. "Charlie…" Edward said warningly.

"Yes?" Charlie asked with a small smile on his face, his head tilted to the side, hands clasped behind his back and his eyes widened slightly; the picture of innocence.

"We're going to have a talk about this later." Edward promised and Charlie's face lit up, a wide smug grin spreading across his face.

"I know." He said with a slight glint in his eye and I'm sure the 'talk' he was thinking of consisted mainly of him using his little gift on his father. He walked out the door and I could hear his almost silent footsteps on the floor boards of the hall way.

I turned back to Edward who was looking back at me with his sparkling orange eyes, gold that had been tinted by my blood a few days ago and it made me suddenly aware of the thirst burning at the back of my throat and the vibrant red my eyes must be.

Edward seemed to realise what I was thinking, probably by the slight frown on my face. "Hungry?"

"I am!" I heard Charlie yell from two floors up.

Edward, Beth, Charlie and I were all out hunting now. Due to Charlie's 'persuasion' both our children were out with us. Edward had been slightly hesitant about it but I didn't want to be separated from my children again and I was determined I wasn't going to hurt them so it was easy enough to convince him.

We were all roughly near each other while we hunted. I had feasted on a few deer already but the burning at the back of my throat still hadn't been quenched, I doubted it would ever be completely satisfied although it wasn't weak enough for me to be able to ignore it yet.

The wind changed direction, blowing the most appealing scent I had ever smelled towards me and I immediately took off at full speed towards it, my newborn senses picking up the scent a split second before the rest of my little family. Beth had been closest to me with Charlie near her (they hunted as a combined force, working as one to bring down their prey) and Edward slightly farther away.

I could clearly hear Beth and Charlie's shouting to me, heard their footsteps hitting the ground softly as they ran behind me but I was slightly faster with my newborn speed.

The smell was too delicious, too overpowering to ignore. Human, definitely human. I had to taste the blood that the scent belonged to. I couldn't ignore it, it was too enticing. I ran through the forest, trees blurring past me as I followed the scent trail with my newborn thirst raging in the back of my throat. It had started to rain and the scent was growing steadily fainter. I paused for a split second, searching for the scent once more before taking off in a different direction, following it once again.

I froze completely, unable to move, to go towards that scent that called to my whole being and felt myself being lifted off the ground into the air by an invisible force. Anger roared through me at the thought of being interrupted from my hunt as my mind tried to decipher what could have stopped me through the blood lust induced haze that clouded my mind.

"Mommy, stop this." Charlie demanded as he stepped out of the bushes, slowing from his run. I noticed something off about his voice, a musical quality and as realisation hit, that he was trying to use his power against me, a low growl escaped my lips as my eyes focused on him.

My eyes darted to his right as Beth emerged beside him, her hand held upwards towards me and a look of concentration on her face. It was her. She was the one preventing me from feasting on the appealing human whose scent overrode my senses. I hissed at her, at them both, low and threatening and fought against the control she had over me. Forcing my legs to move, to run and I marvelled at the feeling of my feet planted on the ground. I broke through her invisible barrier, exhausting her as she fought to contain me and threw myself towards them.

I once more found myself being held by that invisible barrier, hovering in the air just above them, where Beth had stopped me mid-lunge. I growl of pure anger ripped from my chest as I struggled once more against her power.

My eyes darted around the clearing then locked with Charlie's. His golden, tear-filled eyes stared back at me, clouded with fear. Just that look, that one look, panged at my heart and broke through my bloodlust. The look on his face, knowing that I was the one who had caused it, was heartbreaking. My whole body went limp as I stopped fighting Beth's power.

"Beth, put me down." My voice was barely above a whisper and I turned my head slightly in her direction. "Please?" I added.

She frowned, eyeing me suspiciously. "Are you sure?" She asked and I nodded my head slightly as she lowered my feet to the ground.

"Charlie…" I said apologetically, almost pleading as I took a small hesitant step towards him. How could I make it up to him? How? I had almost attacked my son and that knowledge caused a searing pain in my heart.

His tears were flowing freely from his eyes and he hurled his small body at me, locking his arms around my neck and clinging onto me even after what I had nearly done. "Mommy." He sobbed into my shoulder and I wrapped my arms around him instinctively, the need to protect him over whelming but the main thing he needed protecting from was me and I couldn't bring myself to let him go.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I'm so, so sorry." I whispered against the side of his head as I held him tightly to me.

I heard a rustling at my side and looked up to see Edward emerging from the surrounding forest. "Bella?" He asked and took a step towards me, his arm outstretched. I turned away from him, unable to look at him. After what I had done I didn't deserve him. I didn't deserve any of them.

I shook my head and ran into the trees, back to the house with Charlie in my arms. I heard Beth's voice behind us as she spoke to Edward. "Let them go, they need time alone together. She needs to be with him just now." She said softly and she was right. I realised then how perceptive she was, just like Renee. And that thought brought a slight smile to my face.

I had my family now, for eternity and I would make sure we stayed like that. Literally, together forever. Whatever happens, I would make this up to Charlie, I was determined to control myself. The look on Charlie's face was enough for me to never want to be like that again, consumed by bloodlust, and I made a promise, to myself and my family, I never would.

**A/N: Ta-da! So, that's the last chapter! cries I have decided to make a sequel and will update when I post the first chapter. **

**A few things I may need to clear up: I thought that this would be the best way for Bella to be able to control her lust for human blood although she does have more control than other newborns already.**

**Beth:**** Has Edward's control and Renee's perceptiveness but is also a lot like Alice because of all the time she has spent, and will be spending, with her.**

**Charlie:**** Has Edward's temper but without the control over it so it will seem a lot worse than Edward's. But he also has a strong sense of right and wrong (like Chief Swan, being a policeman). He is constantly truthful and is exceptionally caring like Bella.**

**Thank you for all the support throughout the story and if you have any questions or comments then feel free to review.**

**I will also give anyone who reviews a sneak peak of the first chapter of the sequel to this!**


	18. Sequel news!

Authors note: Alright guys, the sequel is now up!

Summary: This story follows the lives of Beth and Charlie as they grow and mature, meeting all the obstacles that get in their way. Beth is bubbly and out going as always but now Charlie is reserved and distancing himself from his family, why?

Yay! Anyway, its called 'A whole new world' so go check it out. It will have a few chapters of Beth and Charlie growing up but will mainly focus on when they are 14 to 16 years old.

I have also decided that im going to give sneak peek's of the next chapter in all my stories so if you review you get a preview!

Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, favourites and support throughout this story! I love that you all liked it so much and I really appreciate it.

Sophia x


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